Yugioh GX: Deck the Duels
by BiggestDreamer86
Summary: The students of Duel Academy are given the holiday season off for the first time ever! Too bad Syrus and Hassleberry don't have anywhere to go! Can Jaden help give them and a host of other characters old and new a holiday to remember? *Please Review*
1. Get to Class! Wake up Jaden!

**Yu-gi-oh GX**

**_"Deck the Duel_s"**

_The following story takes somewhere between Season 2 and 3 of Yu-gi-oh GX._

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._

**Turn 1: Get to Class! Wake up Jaden!**

Another warm day of class and dueling was upon Duel Academy. Many Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue students were dashing from their dorms to classrooms compound in the center of campus. The Slifer Red students were a different story...

"Jaden! Come on Jay, wake up! We're going to be late again!" yelled a panicking Syrus Truesdale. "I don't need to spend another detention going over trap cards for Dr. Crowler!" Syrus exclaimed, as he began to hyperventilate.

Jaden Yuki layed sprawled out in his bed, snoring as loud as a jack hammer running on full power. How anyone else in the dorm slept was a mystery in itself.

"Private, this is no time shaking like a leaf!" yelled Tyranno Hassleberry, the Academy's local dino-duelist. "There's a simple way to get his kind up." Hassleberry explained as he leaned over Jaden.

"What?! What are you doing Hassleberry?!" Syrus yelled shakingly.

"Just watch,_"_ Hassleberry said quietly as he got closer to Jaden. All of sudden, Hassleberry took in a deep breath and yelled, "DUEL TOURNAMENT TODAY IN CROWLER'S CLASS!!"

What happened next could be comparable to some of the typhoons that Academy Island experienced once in a great while.

"ALL RIGHT, TIME TO GET MY GAME ON!!" roared Jaden as he sprang from his bed and raced around the room to get ready."Got to get my duel disk, my deck, some breakfast and then I'm ready!!"

Syrus and Hassleberry were dodging left and right, trying not be run over by the lightning quick duelist. "What did I tell you private? Works every time!" Hassleberry yelled, as he jumped on nearby table to dodge Jaden again.

Syrus on the other hand couldn't hear at the moment, as he was being pulled with clothes, unused books and other items in the room that were "following" Jaden. It seemed that when Jaden rushed for a duel, a vacuum was left behind him. "HASSLEBERRY HELP Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Syrus yelled as he was pulled into the bathroom with Jaden.

_Meanwhile, a half an hour before that whole incident... In one of the many faculty offices adjacent to the duel arena, a certain "Doctor" was having problems of his own._

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN VACATION?!" screamed a red faced Dr. Crowler. "THIS IS THE TOP RATED DUELING SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY! WE CAN'T LET THE STUDENTS HAVE OFF FOR EVERY HOLIDAY! Especially since it seems like we hardly have classes anymore these days. What with the Shadow Riders, the school being taken over by the Society of Light, and well...," Crowler began to mumble at this point. Their track record with maintaining order had been pretty bad. It was best that he not risk his job on any details.

"Monsieur, it was not I who authorized this little event, but you!" spoke a more calm, but still defensive Bonaparte. "You signed the paper itself nearly 3 weeks ago! Do you not remember?"

Bonaparte forced the paper of interest into Crowler's gloved hands and he began to skim the document. Crowler read, "It is to be considered in the interest of the students...parent relations...in the spirit of the season...that students be sent home for the holiday?! SIGNED "DR. VELLIAN CROWLER?! WHAT? We never had to do such a thing before, so why now?!" Crowler said while sweating profusely.

"Apparently Chancellor Shepard and the board discussed this at the beginning of the semester. They said that just because we are on an island, doesn't mean we should isolate the students themselves. If you ask me, if that were the case the Academy should've been set up within a suburb of Domino City," Bonaparte said in an as a matter of fact tone. "Either way, we need to get these brats off the island before the 21st of the month!"

"Yes, the 21st...,"Crowler grumbled as he strode over to his calendar, featuring a Blue-Eyes White Dragon flying over a mountain range. "That would be...TOMORROW?! Quick Bonaparte, you make the announcement, while I call the helicopter company! Ooooooh, why must Chancellor Shepard make all of these business trips during a crisis?!" moaned Crowler as he started tearing away at his files for a phone number.

_This brings as back to present, where Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry were now making there way to the classroom complex._

"Seriously Hassleberry, you got to stop doing that to me. It took forever to pry Sy off of the ceiling," said Jaden with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"Hey, its not my fault that you fall for that gag every time. What does this make, the 22nd time you've fallen for it?" Hassleberry asked.

"Twenty-third, but who's counting the concussions?" moaned Sy while rubbing the back of his head. "You're just lucky Chazz wasn't around this time. I think you literally heard his pride when that duel disk went flying at him."

"Yeah, who knew a duel disk could fit there anyway?" Jaden said with a sheepish grin.

The trio could finally see the skewed pillars of the classroom complex coming into view now. Much of the campus had been restored after the whole incident with the Society of Light and the status quo had been reestablished. Go to class, try to stay awake, duel to your hearts content, and enjoy the time in between. It seemed like it was going to be another quiet day on Academy Island, until a closer look proved otherwise.

"Hey Jay, have we ever gotten a dust storm on the island before?" Syrus said with apprehension.

"No. I can't think of that happening before. Why do you ask Sy?" asked Jaden, turning toward Syrus.

"Then we may have a problem," Syrus said while pointing his shaken head toward to main building.

A huge plume of dust and what appeared to be paper was flying around ahead of the trio. Screams could be heard coming from inside to huge cloud, while a rumbling began occur in the ground.

"Sam hill, what's going on now?!" yelled Hassleberry as the trio began running toward the plume.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out!" yelled Jaden as they charged toward the chaos ahead, with Winged Kuriboh suddenly flying beside him. "_Kuri!_"

As the trio got closer, the screams became clearer. However, it was not screams of terror or anger that were emanating from the cloud, but screams of joy and excitement.

"I've got to pack!", "I better call my folks!", "I can't believe Crowler allowed this!", were a few of the disembodied statements that could be heard among the dust cloud.

Jaden tried to feel his way through the cloud and grab a hold of someone for information. Unfortunately, this caused him to be smacked by a couple of female Obelisk Blue, who didn't appreciate his unintentional "groping."

"Perv!" yelled one of the Obelisk Blue women as a third slap went across Jaden's face.

"Ow! Sorry, I didn't mean to...," Jaden stammered while rubbing his now sore cheek.

Syrus was not having any better luck as he was shoved back and forth among bodies that he couldn't see. "Ow! Hey, watch it! Ahh, that's my foot. AHHH THAT'S MY BACK!!" yelled Syrus from within the cloud.

Hassleberry seemed to be making the most progress at this point. At least at not being shoved left and right.

"Out of the way soldier! I'm on "recon"! If you can't answer my questions, then move along!" Hassleberry said as he threw a random Ra Yellow out of his way. "Sam hill, isn't anyone going to calm down?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out over the crowd, "Hey Hassleberry, over here!"

Hassleberry looked over to see Alexis Rhodes waving on the outer rim of the now thinning crowd of students. He could also see a bruised Jaden and Syrus making there way toward her. It turned out that they were close to the main entrance to the building and just survived a stampede of student. As Hassleberry made his way over Jaden had already started to talk to Alexis.

"Hey Alexis, what was that all about?" Jaden said while now rubbing his side.

"Well Jaden, if you were on time you would have heard the announcement that Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte had said.", explained Alexis in a lecturing tone. "Crowler gave the whole student body a week off for the holidays."

"The holidays? What holidays?" Jaden asked in a confused tone, causing everyone to face-fault.

"Umm, Jay. You know...Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Boxing Day?. Any of these ringing a bell?" Syrus asked.

"Its December?!" Jaden said in an even more confused tone, causing everyone to fall over.

"Yeah Jaden. What month did you think it was?" Alexis said, appearing to be a little unnerved.

"Well I don't know. You have to admit that we are on an island in the middle of the ocean. Its kind of hard to really keep track of the season," Jaden tried to retort.

"Well I know what to get you for Christmas now Jaden, a calendar," Alexis said while giggling under her breath. "Anyway, we're all supposed to be packing up to go home for the break. So of course everyone stampeded out of the building to get back to the dorms."

"OH NO!" wailed Syrus all of a sudden. "My parents are on vacation in Europe now! They won't be back until next month!"

"Same here private.", sighed Hassleberry. "Except my parents went on a training mission in Africa and won't be back until March!"

"Training mission for what?" Alexis asked surprisingly.

"Nothing really. Its like a second honeymoon for them really.", Hassleberry said, while uncharacteristically blushing in embarassment.

"What are we going to do?" said Syrus in a nervous tone.

"I have a great idea guys!" shouted Jaden. "You can come home with me for the break!"

Everyone looked in surprise at broad grinning Jaden.

"You sure Jay? Your parents won't mind having us over?" Syrus asked.

"Not at all Sy. I'm sure that they'd love to meet you and Hassleberry. We always have room at the house for guests," Jaden said with a laugh.

"Wow Jaden thats great! We better get your parents on the horn and start packing then!" Hassleberry said with growing excitement.

"Yeah, lets get going. See you later Alexis!" Jaden said as the trio began to run off.

"See you guys!" Alexis shouted after them as she waved, until she realized something.

"Oh wait, Jaden!",Alexis shouted as she drew an envelope from her pocket. Unfortunately, the guy were already off in the distance.

"Oh well. Looks like I'll have to give it to you later then," Alexis said with a sigh as she walked off.

After Alexis walked away, one lone figure began to stagger out of the main entrance.

"The Chazz does not like being used as a carpet...," stammered a bruised and beat up Chazz. His trademark black coat was torn in multiple places and his hair was more wild then before. "I just _had_ to try to get out of the building first!" he scolded to himself.

"Gee boss, I never saw you so _floored_ before!" cried Ojama Yellow, who appeared next to him.

"Yeah, you look really_ down_ in the dumps!" said Ojama Green now sitting on top of him.

"They really _decked_ your halls!" laughed Ojama Black, next to Ojama Green.

"Aw shut up! I need to go pack," Chazz said, as he crawled his way back to the red dorm.

_To Be Continued..._

_(A/n: Greetings new viewers! I bring you tidings from the "future"! Some of you may think that the first few chapters are pretty short. Well, they are! Please hang in for a few more Chapters and you won't be disappointed...I hope o.O; )_


	2. Back to Domino! Jaden's Parents Revealed

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._

**Turn 2: Back to Domino! Jaden's Parents Revealed!**

After hours of phone calls, filing the correct paper work, and crying to himself, Dr Crowler had pulled off what he thought was impossible. He had arranged the helicopters to pick up and transport the students to the new helicopter pads at Domino City's bay. Parents could then either pick up their child or the Academy would pay for a ride to their homes. The latter was done as an apology to parents caught off guard by the sudden arrangement and cover Crowler's behind

Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry were all dosing of in one of the copters, when an announcement came over the speakers, "Attention all Duel Academy students, we will be arriving at Domino Harbor in the next 5 minutes. Please prepare to disembark. That is all."

On a very rare occasion Jaden was actually the first to wake up. "Alright, hello Domino City! Its been a while since we were last here!"

"Yeah, weren't we dueling for our lives back then against Sartorious' thugs?" Syrus said with a grimace.

"Yep. Brings back memories doesn't it private?" yawned Hassleberry as he awoke. "At least we know nothing can happen this time around."

"Hey, by the way Jay, why didn't you tell us you lived in Domino City? I've known you for how long and you never mentioned it?" Syrus asked with an air of neglect.

"Well it just never came up, I guess," Jaden said calmly as he looked out over the skyline ahead. "We're always so busy with things that it just never came to mind. I don't really live in the city itself, but in one of the suburbs. Its called Shogi Town."

"Domino City, Shogi Town...hey wait a minute I think I see a pattern...," Syrus said before he was cut of by the speaker. "Prepare for landing."

After leaving the helicopter, the trio walked around the warf looking for Jaden's Dad. He was supposed to pick up the guys within 15 minutes of landing.

"Hey, wasn't Chazz supposed to come on one of the helicopters too?" Syrus said while looking around at all of the departing students.

"He left on his own apparently. He didn't say where he was going," said Hassleberry as he kept a lookout for Jaden's dad. "Now Sarge, what does your Dad look like again?"

"You'll know when you see him Hassleberry. All of my relatives say that I took after him in the looks department," Jaden stated with a grin.

All of a sudden, a voice called out in the distance, "JADEN! Jaden, over here!!"

Syrus and Hassleberry looked over and couldn't believe their eyes. Running toward them was what appeared to be an older and slightly more toned version of Jaden. Of course, there were a few more differences in appearances to separate the two. To begin, Jaden's father had all brown hair, as opposed to the two toned color of his son's, with the front styled similar to Jaden's as well. However, the back of his hair was a lot less wild, with the hair pointing down instead of the "swoop" that Jaden had. Also, Jaden father of course had a slightly more mature face, with a more square jawline and a few wrinkles as well. This was covered slightly by a matching brown goatee that covered Mr. Yuki's face. Finally, he was also dressed in a black, long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that hinted that he did work out to a degree.

"Its nice to see you again son!" Mr Yuki said as he hugged Jaden. "How's life at the academy going? Staying awake in your classes?" Mr Yuki said with an air of accusation.

Jaden just smiled sheepishly and decided to shift attention away from school for a bit. "Uh...Pop, these are my friends Syrus Trusdale and Tyranno Hassleberry," Jaden said while pointing over to the two.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yuki," Syrus and Hassleberry said simultaneously while bowing.

Mr. Yuki nodded back, "Nice to meet you guys too. I hope you'll enjoy the holidays with us!" said Mr. Yuki, as he flashed a big grin. "By the way, you don't have to call me Mr. Yuki. That's my father's name. Just call me Jacen."

_Jacen?! _thought Syrus.

_Thats my father's name? So that's where Jaden's sense of humor comes from! _ thought Hassleberry.

"Well boys, how about we get going then? I'm only parked about a block away," Jacen said while jerking his head over his shoulder.

As the group began to walk away,"Goodbye students and parents! Please don't sue...I mean Happy Holidays!" Crowler began wiping his brow with a handkerchief. "Phew, that's one crisis averted. Now to get back to the Academy and enjoy my own vacation!"

Crowler began to turn toward the helicopter pad again, only to see that all of the helicopters had departed! "Wait for me you cretans! I paid you enough for at least one round trip!", Crowler shouted as he dashed up the pier. "Take me baaaaaaaaaaaaaa...," were the last words he said before running off the pier with a loud splash.

"Did you guys hear anything?" Syrus said as the group walked toward Jacen's car.

"Nope.", "Not a thing", " Must be the seagulls," responded Jaden, Hassleberry, and Jacen respectively.

About fifteen minutes went by before the group arrived in Shogi Town. At the time Jaden was more than happy to point out every area of interest in his hometown.

"...and there's the card store where I used to duel my friend Koyo! Over there is Takahashi's Market, which sells the best hamburgers during lunch time. Oh, and if you follow this road straight for about a half a mile, you'll come to Anzu Park. I met a bunch of my friends there while playing on the playground and playing baseball!" Jaden said while fidgeting left and right to point out different parts of his childhood.

"Wow Jaden, it must've been great to grow up here! This beats living in the city like Zane and I did with our family," Syrus said while trying to keep up with the tour.

"Yeah, Shogi Town does have quite a bit of small town charm," Jacen said as he turned his brick red Toyota Camry (authors note: Anyone notice a theme in color yet?) onto another street. " It's a far cry from downtown Domino, but when the company gave me the chance to relocate out here, I jumped on the offer. Kairi thought it was the perfect spot to raise a family."

"Kairi? Oh you mean Jaden's mom!" Hassleberry comprehended outloud.

"The one and only!" Jaden said as the car finally pulled into the driveway.

"Oh wow!" Syrus said with surprise.

"Affirmative private...," Hassleberry stated in agreement.

Jaden's home was impressive to say the least. The house appeared to be fairly new, not older than 10 year of age. It was a two story white house, with forest green shutters, a matching large deck and fairly large lawn. A small two car garage was off to the left of the house, while a large tree and tire swing was to the right in the front lawn. A cobblestone path even led to the front deck.

"Um, Mr Yuki? Not to be rude, but what did you say your job was again?" Syrus asked with a curious tone.

"Jaden never told you?" Jacen said turning to Sy. "I'm actually part of the board for business relations at Kaiba Corp."

"HUH?!" Hassleberry and Syrus yelled simultaneously.

"I guess the big eyes and slack jaws mean you're a bit surprised?" Jacen said with a small sweatdrop on his forehead. "Let me explain, I joined the company about 10 years ago. As you may have heard, Kaiba Corp. has many rivals in the gaming industry, so the company needs all of the partnerships and deals we can get. My committee sees to it that those relations aren't tarnished. What with growing competition, corporate spies, and hackers. The Von Schroeder Corp. a few years back did a number in Kaiba Land from what I heard," Jacen said while nodding his head in thought.

"Anyway, enough about business. You boys are here for a vacation! Besides, it seems that Jaden's already gone inside," Jacen said while pointing his thumb to the open front door.

"Man, Jay can't even stick around when his dad gives a small lecture...,"Syrus said with a small grimace.

"Never mind private. The sarge had probably heard all of that before anyway," Hassleberry said with his arms behind his head. "Lets set up base camp and get _Operation: Holiday _underway!"

Jacen led the boys into the house, which was already decorated for the holiday. A tree was decorated in the large bedroom to the left, which also had a large couch and a fireplace. To the right was another room that looked like it was a home office, with a desktop computer, fax machine, and even a video phone. Further down the hall a doorway into the kitchen could be seen and the sounds of Jaden eating heard.

"Heh. It sounds like Jaden is enjoying his mom's cooking already," Jacen said as he a the guys walked toward the kitchen. "You could at least introduce your friends before letting your stomach take over Jaden," he said with a more stern tone.

"Oh! _gulp_ Sorry Pop!"Jacen said with a slightly ashamed smile. "Its been a while since I've had any of Mom's cooking!"

"Hahaha. I sent you a whole box of cookies just the other month. Didn't you get them hon'?" said a sweet voice of to the side.

Syrus and Hassleberry turned to see Jaden's mom, Kairi. She reminded Syrus a lot of Miss Fontaine from Duel Academy, except with a little of Jaden mixed in. Her light brown hair was cut shoulder length and she had some of her hair styled into two narrow loops on either side. She wore a small, red hooded sweatshirt with a familiar small "KC" printed on the chest. Her outfit was complete with a pair of blue jeans.

"What cookies would those be Sarge?" Hassleberry said with a look of accusation.

"Well, that's the funny thing. You see it was when Syrus had to go pick up his sinus medication at the infirmary. I just got back to the dorm and opened the box. I really, really, tried to wait for you guys, but ended uo eating them all.", Jaden explained with a sheepish grin.

"We were gone for 10 minutes! You know the private has a hard time going across the ground without his drops! I had to carry him!"Hassleberry shouted with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"You told me you were trying to build up your legs!" Syrus shouted toward Hassleberry. "I thought you needed the workout!"

"Hehehehhahahahahaha...,"Jacen, Kairi, and Jaden started to laugh at the two.

"Its ok boys, I promise that you'll have a chance to eat whenever you come to visit here," Kairi said with a small smile. "Speaking of which, who's ready for dinner?"

"We are!" Jaden and Jacen said simultaneously, causing the whole room to burst into laughter.

"Well guys, welcome to your new home away from...well Duel Academy," Jaden said as he went to help his dad prepare the table.

_To Be Continued... _


	3. Beyond the Horizon! Who's Judai?

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._

**Turn 3: Beyond the Horizon! Who's Judai?! **

**Domino Pier: 5:30 am (12/22/XX)**

The sky along Domino Bay was just beginning to turn a light purple-blue as the sun slowly made its way up toward the horizon. The humming of equipment and the shouts of sailors could be heard across the bay, as various boats and ships made their way out into the ocean for the day. The crisp, cool, salty, air would be refreshing to anyone, unless you were Dr. Crowler.

"I can't...believe...that no...one has...come...for...m.m.m.me!" Crowler shrieked in a high falsetto voice. "I've...been...waiting...on...this blasted...pier...the whole...night! Where is Bonaparte?!"

_scene flashes back to Academy Island_

"Ahh, now this is what I call a Christmas Paradise," Bonaparte said as he reclined in a hammock set up on the beach. "Marcel, would you like another smoothie? I can have Dorothy run it out to us!"

"Oui Papa," said a short, timid-looking boy, who was building a sand castle

"I wonder what's taking Crowler so long. Oh well, he has my number! Hahahahahaha," laughed Bonaparte as he continued to enjoy the warm weather.

_scene flashes to Bonapartes office_

"You have 30 unheard messages," stated the office's answering machine.

_scene flashes back to the Pier_

"When...I get...my hands on him...ACHOOO! Why did my wallet have to sink to the bottom?!" wailed a wet and cold Crowler as he laid down on the dock and dosed off.

As Crowler slowly succumbed to exhaustion, a different boat began to pull into the harbor. Unlike the larger, more rustic fishing boats that were exiting the harbor, this particular boat was small motor boat. Inscribed on the side of the boat were the letters "DA." Strangely enough, singing could be heard coming from inside.

"Ooooooooooh, Jingle Bells, Ojama Yellow Smells, Chaaazz laid an egg!" sang Ojama Black.

"Ojama Black can't sing for jack and Chazz's sanity is going away!",both Ojama Yellow and Green chimed in.

"Please...just SHUT UP!!" yelled Chazz at the helm of the boat. "You've been "singing" since we left the island! Why don't you all go home for holidays!?"

"Hey, we already sang that song!" said Ojama Green

"Besides boss, we are home!" Ojama Yellow said while hugging Chazz's head. "Home is where the boss is!"

"That's right!" Ojama Black and Green said simultaneously as the hugged each of Chazz's arms.

"Where's your Christmas spirit boss?" asked Ojama Yellow with big, teary eyes. "Why didn't we fly home with everyone else?

"The Chazz doesn't need any stinking Christmas Spirit, friends, or monster spirits for that matter!" Chazz proclaimed out loud. "Christmas is just one big commercial circus that forces families together and make people think of good will once a year! Then when all is said and done life is no better than it was before. There just more and more trash to deal with!"

" Oh come on boss. Don't be a Scrooge!" yelled Ojama Black

"Yeah...be a Santa Chazz!" Ojama Green chimed in. "You better watch out!..."

"You better not cry...," sang Ojama Black

"You better not pout, I'm telling you why!" followed Ojama Yellow.

"Santa Chazz is coming to town!" all three Ojamas sang.

"Oh bah humbug," said Chazz in defeat as he docked the boat near a pier. _The worst part about all of this is the fact that we have that corporate party for the Princeton Corp._, thought Chazz. _Normally I'd let my brother's rot, but my inheritance is a part of the company still. I have to make an appearance at least. I'll still make the Pro Leagues on my own, but a good business man always has a backup plan_.

A few hours later, in Shogi Town...

"So, this store is where you first heard about Duel Monsters?" asked Syrus as the boys walked toward downtown.

"Right Sysaid Jaden. "I was just a little kid then too. I used to go to the shop just for baseball cards back then. I never really thought much about Duel Monsters until I saw a bunch of kids playing it there."

"One of those kids was your friend Koyo, right?" asked Hassleberry.

"Yeah, he was awesome with his deck. Before Elemental Heroes came out he used to run just regular old warriors, but the combos were sweet. He even held off a guy's Tri-Horn Dragon with two Command Knights blocking out attacks!" Jaden said with excitement. "Then he became my "rival" with Elemental Heroes. It was always hero versus hero with us."

"So what happened to him?" asked Syrus.

"Well, since then he also went to a different Duel Academy and then onto the International Pro Circuit. I don't know if he runs E-heroes anymore...," Jaden further explained.

The boys finally arrived at the card shop, a simple brick building with a sign that read "Beyond the Horizon Collectables." The window to the store was plastered with advertisements for different types of games: trading card games, table-top role playing games, and even a few of the latest video games.

"Whoooooooaaa...,"was all Syrus could stutter as the three walked into the shop.

The entrance to the store actually went down a few steps into what appeared to be small warehouse for gaming. Cases of single trading cards from various games lined the walls of the store, while racks and displays of games filled the central part of the store.

"_Knights of the Round Table_._Take the role of a knight and his comrades and protect the your own kingdom from dark forces. Battle to become a legend of both the sword and steed or a dark warrior of the Goblin King. 4 plus players..._", Syrus read from a table top rpg box.

Syrus imagined a cartoon version himself clad in armor and swinging a sword left and right. Behind him stood Alexis in a blue gown and a pointed hat.

"Oh brave knight, save me from the horrid dragon that way waste upon the land!" cried the imaginary Alexis."

"Never fear Lady Lexia! For I, Sir Syrus of Truesdale shall protect you! Charge!" yelled the iron clad Syrus toward the back of a large black dragon. "Have at thee oh swine!" Syrus roared as he swung his sword.

The dragon reared its head to reveal the face of Chazz?!

"It _The Dragon of Chazz_, ye little wimp," The Dragon bellowed before releasing a breath of fire upon the small warrior.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh...," yelled Syrus as he came out of his day dream. "That's it. No more King Arthur stories before going to bed.", Sy said as we walked to a different display.

"_Fossil Hunter. Dig for fossils and resurrect your own Jurassic Warrior. Fight with your own Dino-Warrior against other Fossil Hunters and train the true King of the Dinosaurs. Endorsed by up and coming research, Jim "Crocodile" Cook,_" Hassleberry read off of a box for a new Virtual Pet/Card Scanner. "Bet the guy can't duel for a hill of beans, but this game doesn't look half bad."

Jaden made his way toward the back of the store while the others looked around. He approached what appeared to be an Egyptian Altar with a glass case and a cash register on it.

"Mr. Hayama!" yelled Jaden at the top of his lungs, startling both Syrus and Hassleberry as his voice echoed through the store.

"Jaden! Its rude to yell!" yelled back Syrus.

"Then take your own advice young man!!" yelled a voice from the right of the decorated sales counter.

A card case next to the right began to swing slowly sideways, with smoke billowing out of it. Raspy breathing could be heard coming from the revealed doorway.

"It's the Ghost of the Gameshop! Its here to claim our souls!", yelled Syrus as he now hid quivering behind Hassleberry.

"Cut it out private! Take a look again...," said an annoyed Hassleberry.

From the door appeared a short man with a heavy _Asian_ accent. He wore simple brown slacks and a decorative blue shirt with a dragon embroidered on it. His dark gray hair was pulled back into an elaborate braid, held together with a gold colored clip.

"Unless you wish to shop elsewhere you noisy kids, I'd like to have a little respect," said the short man as he walked past the group to the register. "Now, who called me?" he said as he looked toward the boys.

"Its me Mr. Hayama, Jaden Yuki," said Jaden as he pointed to himself. "Remember?"

Mr. Hayama looked closer at Jaden through his small almond shaped eyes.

"Hmm...," he said as crawled up onto the altar, looking closer at the young duelist.

"Nope, can't say I've seen you before.", Mr. Hayama said while turning away. This caused Hassleberry and Syrus to facefault.

"Um...what if you put your glasses on Mr. Hayama?", Jaden indicated toward the pair that were hanging from his pocket.

"Hmm...that may help, "Mr. Hayama said while putting the pair of oval shaped spectacles on his head. "Lets see now...AHH Judai! Its been so long!!" he said as clapped Jaden on his shoulder.

"Judai?" Syrus said confused. "Aww man Jaden, are you sure you know this guy?"

"Of course I know Judai-kun. He went off to train hard in the art of Dueling, like his friend Koyo," Mr. Hayama said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You've grown my boy! Its been too long! Haha!" he said excitedly while jumping from check out.

"You do know his name is Jaden, right sir?" Hassleberry asked in a tentative manner.

"That's alright Hassleberry," Jaden said waving him off. "I forgot about my nickname in the store. You see, I was always kind of like a son to Mr Hayama, so..."

"So, I gave him a nickname after the boy I never had," finished Mr. Hayama. "What are you doing here my boy? Aren't you at the big Dueling School now?" he said with a bit of concern.

"Well, we're off for the holidays and I brought some friends home with me for the break," Jaden said, while pointing back to the guys.

"Ohhh. Well if you are home, you should enter the tournament being held tomorrow," said Mr. Hayama.

"Tournament? What tournament?" asked Jaden in surprise.

"Ohh, you haven't heard...," said Mr. Hayama as he went behind the check out counter. "Where is it now...I left it here somewhere. Ahh, here we go," he said as he pulled out an over sized miniature poster.

The poster showed a Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon positioned on opposite sides of each other, preparing to attack. In the background was a large Christmas tree, while the caption in front said "DUEL" in large letters.

"It is a small Dueling tournament that is being held at Domino Mall tomorrow. The grand prize is one of a kind promotional card, created by personally by Maximillion Pegasus himself,"explained Mr. Hayama. "It's a single-elimination tournament that's drawing everyone to it. Promotions are calling it the _Yule Duel_. I've had duelists coming in all week to prepare their decks. My friend Solomon Muto over in Domino is also quite busy," explained Mr. Hayama.

"Hold up," said Syrus. "You know Yugi Muto's Grandpa too?!"

"Yes, we used to be quite the explorers back in our day. This check out counter was a gift from him," Mr. Hayama said while pointing back to the altar-like check out. "Although I never really understood his love for Egyptian artifacts and games. Him and Arthur used to go on and on about cards from Egypt and all that. It was a wonder when I got him to go on any expeditions to Asia with me...," he finished while shaking his head.

"Heh, the Yule Duel,"said Jaden with a large grin. "Sounds like our place to be!"

"It begins at Noon tomorrow. You've better get there early in order to beat the holiday traffic,"Mr. Hayama said with a smile. "Remember, I'm here to help you as well Judai-kun. Asuka and I have just restocked the shelves for the holiday rush. Cards and games are big items you know."

"Who's Asuka?" asked Syrus, who received an answer immediately.

"Father, I have finished inventory," said a woman as she emerged from the hidden doorway.

"Huh?" said Syrus in surprise as he looked at the woman.

The resemblance was uncanny. This girl looked very similar to their friend Alexis. However, there were still some major differences. For starters, this girl appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. Furthermore, she had shorter, dark hair that was styled in a downward , spiky fashion around her head. She was dressed in jeans and had a embroidered shirt similar to her fathers, but with a phoenix on it as opposed to a dragon.

_It looks like Alexis, but if she were Japanese instead! _ thought Syrus.

"Humunah, Humunah, Humunah...,"was all Hassleberry could manage to mutter with a dazed look on his face.

"Jaden!" yelled Asuka in excitement as she ran up and hugged him. "Its been a while. How is my "surrogate brother?"

"Its been great Asuka! I didn't know you were helping your Dad," said Jaden while blushing a bit.

"Well Father isn't getting any younger I'm afraid, and the holiday season is busy," explained Asuka.

"What do you mean I'm getting older?! Did I not teach you respect my daughter?!" Mr. Hayama shouted toward a poster of Mai Valentine that hung on the wall (...with the words "Duelist's of the Decade" labeled on it.)

"Father, your glasses fell of again," Asuka said with a sigh. "So, are you dueling in tomorrow's tournament?" she asked turning back to Jaden.

"Of course. By the way, I have to introduce you to my friends. This is Syrus...," Jaden said pointing over to him.

"Nice to meet you Alex...uh I mean Asuka!" Syrus said with sheepish grin, before being pushed out of the way by Hassleberry.

"..and I'm Boysenberry...I mean Hasselhoff...I mean Hassleberry! Tyranno Hassleberry ma'am," Hassleberry said as he kneeled before Asuka and held her hand. "It's an honor to meet you..."

"The honor is all mine...," Asuka said while blushing a bit.

"Well then boys. I think it is about time that we get you prepared for the tournament!" said Mr. Hayama as he popped up with his glasses again. "While we do that, I can tell you about how Judai-kun, Koyo, and my daughter used to play in their early Duelist careers," he said with excitement.

"You're a duelist?", asked Sy.

"Yep," said Asuka in a sweetly. "Although, its more of a hobby for me unlike you guys."

"She's being modest," said Jaden with a grin. "This girl used to Duel circles around us rookies back in the day."

_Beauty and Dueling Skills. It's the perfect combination!_ thought Hassleberry, who was still holding Asuka's hand.

"May I have my hand back Tyranno-kun?" asked Asuka with a giggle.

"Oh, of course," said Hassleberry as he blushed.

"Excellent! Now let us begin! Follow me downstairs. We have a whole room that used to be put aside for duelist, before technology took over. You may all prepare there," explained Mr. Hayama.

"Great!", "Terrific", "Awesome", said each of the guys as they moved toward the flight of stairs through the hidden door.

"By the way, Mr Hayama?" asked Syrus.

"Yes, Syrus?" he said turning to him.

"Why do you have a hidden door?" asked Syrus.

"To keep out crooks of course. I don't want people to get ahold of my bigger collection," Mr Hayama said in a cryptic manner.

"Bigger collection?" Syrus said as they emerged downstairs.

"Oh...," started Hassleberry.

"wooooooooooooooooooooooooooow," finished Syrus.

Before them was an even larger warehouse lined with glass cases, filled with artifacts that were decorated with what appeared to be Duel Monsters. However, these artifacts included vases, silk tapestries, and rolls upon rolls of scrolls.

"You didn't think that Duel Monsters were only found in Egypt did you?" asked Mr. Hayama with a chuckle as the group made its way to the old duel room.

_Meanwhile, some time later_...

**Domino Pier: 6:00 PM**

"They'll come and find me. They'll come and find me," muttered Dr. Crowler as he rocked back and forth in a fetal position.

At that time, two sailors were just coming in from their boat and happened to notice the delirious Doctor.

"Hey Joe, who or what is that?" asked a sailor clad in a green sweater.

"Must be one of those homeless fellows. Poor guy. Seems to be a little out of it. We'd better call the city to pick him up," said the other sailor in a heavy jacket as he began dialing on his cell phone.

"They'll come and find me!" yelled Dr. Crowler

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Domino Dash! Yule Duel or Bust!

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._

_**Turn 4: Domino Dash! Yule Duel or Bust!**_

Good Morning Domino City and our audience in the surrounding area! This is DOMINO TODAY, with your hosts Mat Lowell and Merideth Varia; with Hal Stoker with the weather and Anne Karahi at the news desk...

"Well Mat it's December 23rd, meaning that there are only two more shopping days to Christmas!" said Merideth.

"That's right Merideth," nodded the co-anchor. "The 23rd also marks the first ever Yule Duel tournament to be held at Domino Mall today. Where Duelists will be gathering to compete for a prized card from the I2 corporation's own President, Maximilian Pegasus."

"So while the shoppers battle for last minute gifts, duelists will be battling for yet another tournament. Kids and there card games Mat. I remember when cards were just the tools of card sharks and the a past time for Senior citizens. My how times have changed," said Merideth, while shaking her head.

"Well that's not all Merideth. It seems that the early shoppers have gotten a visit from the man in the red suit himself. We go to Hal Stoker with more, Hal?" Mat said while turning to the large screen behind them.

A stout man with a large smile appeared on the screen. "Well hey Mat and Merideth. I'm here with the man of the hour himself, Maximilian Pegasus!" the forecaster/reporter said while turning to "the man in the red suit."

"Its great to be here Hal. First of all I'd like to thank everyone involved in the creation and promotion of this event! We at I2 would like to let people know that the Spirit of Dueling and the Holiday season are one in the same, that of bringing people together," said Pegasus with a subtle smile.

"Now Mr. Pegasus, I'm sure you know that some of our Duelist viewers out there were surprised your decision to hold another tournament. What with the other, larger Duel Monster's tournaments that have been held in the past...," noted Hal.

"Ah yes. Its true that my Duelist Kingdom tournament and Kaiba-boy's Battle City tournament were quite successful for both our companies, but I think that we need to get back to the basics. Dueling is of course about the strength and perseverance of the duelists, not just titles like "The King of Games." The Yule Duel will hold true to this fact by providing some friendly competition," Pegasus explained.

"Will you yourself be here to witness the matches Mr. Pegasus?" Hal asked while holding the microphone closer.

Pegasus sighed heavily, while looking around. "Unfortunately, I myself have other obligations that must be tended to. So, I will...," Pegasus started to say before being cut off by another voice.

"Excuse me Mr. Pegasus...um, we have a bit of a situation," said the gruff voice.

"What is it now Mr. Huffington?" Pegasus asked as the camera turned to one of Duel Academy's old students, Chumley Huffington.

"Well, some of the workers were wondering when they can take their lunch break. They're serving grilled cheese today and...," Chumley started to say while holding the back of his head in embarrassment.

"They can break for an early lunch at 10:30 as explained in today's schedule. Don't you have the final touches to be made on the main stage's backdrop anyway?" Pegasus asked in a accusing manner.

"Uhh...yes sir, sorry to bother you," Chumley said, before bowing and running off.

"Ah my employees...we've been hiring them younger and younger each year," Pegasus said while shaking his head. "Anyway, I will return for the prize ceremony on Christmas Eve. The winner of course will have a there own card design created by me," Pegasus explained.

"Really? In one day Mr. Pegasus?" Hal asked with a confused face.

"With technology these days it isn't that hard. Now I really must be going...," Pegasus said as he began to stand.

"Alright, thank you sir. Now for today's weather...," Hal began to say before the television was turned off.

Kairi Yuki turned away from the tv and continued to get ready for the day. Unlike her husband and son, Kairi was a "morning person", who had a routine that started ay 5:30 each morning.

"Hmm...," she thought aloud ,to herself. "I've done my workout, taken a shower, watered the christmas tree, pressed everyone's clothes for the day, finished off the last of the laundry, and finished my presentation for today's meeting."

"Now comes the hard part...," Kairi said to herself with a grimace, as she walked upstairs.

She opened the door to her bedroom, revealing a disheveled Jacen Yuki hanging halfway out of their bed and snoring up a storm. Naturally, the alarm that had been going off for the past ten minutes was no contest for the sounds erupting from Jacen.

"OH. IT'S THE SAME THING EVERY MORNING!" Kairi attempted to scream over the cacophony filling her bed room. "JACEN! TIME TO WAKE UP! YOU HAVE A MEETING WITH MR. KAIBA TODAY BEFORE YOUR TIME OFF!"

"Mmm...pancakes would be nice...that'll seal the Kawasawa deal...," grumbled Jacen after ceasing the loud snoring.

"Oh...," Kairi thought to herself while placing her hand on her forehead. "Food and work...this man will never change."

Kairi shook her head and began to rouse Jacen from the bed. Unfortunately for Jacen, his wife had only learned one way to real wake him up.

"WHOA...THE WAFFLES ARE GIVING WAY! CALL MR, KAIBA!" yelled Jacen, as he was thrown off the bed by his wife, blanket and all. "Ow! Is it morning?" he said while holding the back of his head.

"Yes, and you have a meeting today. One that doesn't involve breakfast food," Kairi said sternly with her arms crossed.

"So I was talking about food again huh? I'd better eat breakfast before I run off today," Jacen said with a sheepish smile.

Kairi couldn't help but smile softly at her husband. "Hmm, there's that goofy expression that I fell in love with so long ago. It'll be that kind of face that'll win a girl over for Jaden...," she thought as she walked out of the room. "Speaking of which..."

Kairi walked over to another door and saw that it was literally trembling. She smiled again as she thought, "Here we go again..."

She opened the door to Jaden's room and was bombarded by yet even more loud snoring.

Jaden's room was fairly big and covered with dueling paraphernalia wall to wall. His walls were line with posters featuring both monsters and duelists alike, including a signed poster of Yugi Muto. A Mk-1 Duel Disk was placed below the poster, mounted on a type of display on the far side of the room.

"Hehe, it looks like he still polishes it. I remember when Jacen brought that home for him years ago. He hasn't used that thing since his entrance exam at the Academy," Kairi thought.

Against the right wall of the room was wood framed bunk bed, where Jaden and Syrus were sleeping in the bottom and top bunk respectively. Syrus had noticeably plugged his ears with over-sized ear plugs in order to muffle out Jaden's snoring.

"Syrus is a smart kid. It took me a while to figure out the correct size ear plugs to muffle out Jacen's snoring," Kairi thought to herself as she turned her attention to an oversized sleeping bag on the floor. "We offered to bring the cot out for "Ty" but what can you do when a boy insists that a sleeping bag is like a "second home?" Had Jaden not been snoring, she would have heard a voice from within the sleeping bag say "Asuka" in a dreamy voice over and over.

Kairi walked around Hassleberry to double check that the alarm on Jaden's desk was set to go off. The clock itself was shaped like Blue Eyes White Dragon, which gave off a deafening roar to wake up its owner.

"Alright...its set for 8:30. That should give the boys plenty of time to catch the shuttle to downtown,",Kairi thought as she walked out and closed the door.

Some time passed before both Jacen and Kairi departed for work. They told Jaden the night before that he and the guys should try to be home by 8:00 so they could all trim the tree together. Besides that, the guys were allowed to remain downtown for the rest of the day. With all of the Duel Monster and holiday related events happening at the Domino Mall today, they knew it would be hard to keep Jaden away.

The time was slowly creeping closer to 8:30. The Blue Eyes clock now had 8:28 flashing on its display when something began to materialize at the end of Jaden's bed. A small brown puffball with wings appeared with a very cute "Kuri!"

Winged Kuriboh began floating around the Jaden's room and looking at it for himself. It had never really bothered to appear when Jaden was home, since there was never any major spiritual activity occurring at the time.

Winged Kuriboh floated over to the Duel Disk display and looked up at the poster of Yugi Muto. A small tear appeared in its eye as it gazed up at its old duelist before it moved on to look at the rest of the room. Surprisingly, Jaden kept his room pretty clean, except for the random box of cards or piece of clothing lying on the floor. Winged Kuriboh wondered why it wasn't like this back at the dorm, where it was sure that an egg-wich was still lying around from a few weeks ago.

(Author's Note: Jaden leaving food around, go figure.)

Winged Kuriboh fluttered over to the desk where the Blue Eyes Clock stood. It saw a bunch of pictures and duel monsters cards strewn about the lower part of the desk. A bunch of the pictures had been taken at the Academy over the last year. There was one of Jaden and his friends at the beach. Jaden was diving into the water to untangle Syrus from a thicket of seaweed, while Hassleberry and Alexis laughed from the beach. Another picture was of Jaden and his friends cosplaying as Duel Monsters, including Jaden as mix & matched sorcerer, warrior, thing. One final picture intrigued Winged Kuriboh the most. There was a picture of Jaden and Alexis dosing against each other by an outdoor fire. "When had this happened?", was the expression that Winged Kuriboh gave when it looked at this picture.

All of a sudden, the Blue Eyes clock struck 8:30 and started letting out a deafening roar as its mouth began to glow. Winged Kuriboh let out a chirp of surprise, thinking that the clock was a real monster...and that it was powering up an attack?! This caused Winged Kuriboh to charge at the clock in an act of self defense, sending it tumbling down with the clock itself behind the desk. Winged Kuriboh was knocked out and the clock was broken.

(Author's Note: Yeah, we're just going to go with the idea that Winged Kuriboh generated just enough spiritual energy to interact with the physical realm. Ok?)

The rumbling only caused Jaden to stir for a moment, before turning over and grumbling, "Mmm, pancakes would be great..."

Time passed even more before sunlight started to finally creep deeper into the room, finally shining on both Jaden and Syrus.

"Mmmgh...Sy, can you turn off that nightlight of yours. I'm trying to sleep...," grumbled Jaden as he poked the top bunk with his foot.

Syrus' eyes began to slowly open due to the warmth of the sunlight and Jaden's prodding of the mattress. "A...alright...Jad..en...," Syrus muttered while half asleep. "I'll get...iiiiiiiiitttttttttttttttttttt...," Syrus suddenly screamed as he toppled to the floor, landing right on top of Hassleberry.

"Argggh. Asuka, not so rough! Even a soldier can only take so much!" Hassleberry said in a muffled yell from his sleeping bag.

"Asuka?!" shouted Syrus, who was now feeling more awake. "Its just me lover boy!" he shouted once more as he shifted his body off of the sleeping bag.

Hassleberry poked his head out of his sleeping bag, revealing a scarlet face. "Private, tell anyone about this and I swear that there will be consequences."

"Like what?" Jaden said as he lifted himself out of bed, adjusting his red pajamas.

"Well...I'll...uh...well there will be consequences!" Hassleberry proclaimed as he wriggled his way out of the sleeping bag.

"Umm guys?" Syrus said while looking around for the missing clock. "What time is it?"

"Huh?!" Hassleberry and Jaden said simultaneously, as Jaden ran out of his room and down the hall.

"OH NO!" the guys heard Jaden scream from down the hall. "Its 10:15!"

"What?! How'd we oversleep for nearly two more hours?" Hassleberry as he scrambled for his clothes in his travel bag.

"Well, we did get back late from "Beyond the Horizon" last night. You kept asking Asuka questions about dueling, her father's collection, and every other personal question in between." Syrus said as grabbed a basket full of toiletries and made a mad dash to the bathroom.

"Hey, its important to know the personality and background of the woman that you plan to...well, be friends with," Hassleberry said he poked his left and right index fingers together.

"You asked her what brand of jerky she liked!" yelled Syrus over the stream of the shower.

"Well when we're lost in the woods, with only the clothes on our packs and the duel disks on our wrists, I'll be the one who has the jerky for her to survive off of!" Hassleberry said while striking a heroic pose.

"Thats great and all Hassleberry, but could you at least put some pants on?" said Jaden as he stared at his friend, while sweatdropping.

"SAM HILL!" yelled Hassleberry as he attempted to cover his T-rex boxers with his sleeping bag.

After about 15 minutes, the guys were out the door and in the front yard. Each had a backpack with their own deck, an Academy issue duel disk, and whatever else they could fit into their bags.

"So what now Sarge? The downtown bus left at the top of the hour and won't be back until 11. I've heard traffic in Downtown Domino before the holidays is more dangerous than walking into a Gorilla Cage with a bunch of fruit," Hassleberry said while nodding.

"Where do you come up with these comparisons?" asked an exasperated Syrus.

"What do you mean?" Tyranno replied.

"Guys Guys. Don't worry about it. I called up Mr. Hayama and asked him if Asuka could run us down there. She's competing too and has a car. So calm down," Jaden said with a confident smile.

That smile turned into a look of surprise when an blaring horn was heard on the horizon. What appeared to be a type of delivery truck was seen in the distance, coming down the street. A familiar short man was poking his head out of the window and waving. "Judai-kun!"

"Mr...Hayama!?" Jaden said with a look of astonishment as the truck pulled up next to the curb. "What are you doing here?!"

"Ah, Asuka was unable to come at this time. She had a delivery to make across town for the shop earlier and said she'd meet you at the mall," Mr Hayama explained. "I felt bad about promising you a ride, so I decided to come down in the delivery truck to drop you off."

"Wait, if Asuka was making a delivery, why are you in the truck?" Hassleberry questioned the old shop owner.

"Uhhh...", said Mr Hayama as images flashed in his head

_Flashback..._

"_Yes, ok Judai-kun. Asuka will pick you up in a while. Alright, goodbye," said Mr. Hayama as he hung up the phone. "Now to review sales from last week ," Mr Hayama said as he opened the records book and started typing on an old adding machine._

_At this point Asuka walked in with a blue coat, light blue turtleneck and jeans on._

"_Father, I'm heading down the Domino Mall to avoid the traffic. Can you tell Jaden and his friends to meet me in center court?", Asuka said as she adjusted her hair in a pony tail._

"_Mhmm, 20 here...carry the 9 there... uh what?" mumbled Mr. Hayama. "Oh, yes, absolutely. I shall see you later Asuka. Good luck!" he replied without looking up from the books._

"_Alright, see you later," she said as she walked out of the store's entrance._

"_Hmm...we sold 30 packs on that Tuesday, then there was the game station we sold on Friday...," Mr Hayama continued to mumble to himself as he scribbled furiously at the records book._

_This went on for ten minutes until... "Aiiyah!" screamed Mr Hayama. "Another one of those moments that people my age are supposed to have! I've got to go get the boys!" he proclaimed as he ran to the back to get the keys to the truck._

_End Flashback_

"...well, her car has better gas mileage for this particular delivery," Mr. Hayama said with a fake smile.

"Ok", "Sure", "Makes Sense," each of the boys said.

_Phew_ Mr Hayama mentally sighed.

"Anyway, get in boys! We have a tournament to get you to!" Mr Hayama shouted while blaring the horn.

The guys piled into the truck, as Mr. Hayama cranked it into gear and drove off toward the main highway.

Mr Hayama was seated on a stack of what appeared to be a thick pile of magazines wrapped together. Attached to his feet were two ridiculously long blocks of wood, which pushed against both the accelerator and break ever so slightly.

"Uh, so...sir...," Hassleberry started to say from his seat behind the drivers seat, "What are you sitting on for support?", he asked as he pointed toward the magazines.

"Big and Tall Magazines. I've been getting them for the past two decades and haven't been able to get off their mailing list! Solomon and Arthur thought it was a hoot back then," Mr Hayama said with an expression of annoyance. "Of course I deserved it, after offering Solomon an Aztec Warriors' Crest. I said it would make _him_ taller...," he said with a chuckle. "You know the Aztecs worshiped the sun as there..."

"CAT!" yelled Jaden as he gripped the steering wheel to dodge the stray animal.

"YAH!" cried Mr. Hayama as he was flung against the passenger's door. "What cat?! Judai-kun, when a man offers to drive you somewhere, you do not become the driver of the back seat!" he lectured as he gripped the wheel again. "Besides, that was obviously a plastic bag some litter bug left in the road!"

"Since when does a plastic bag have four legs, whiskers, and a tail?" Syrus asked with a blank stare on his face.

"Come to think of it...," Jaden started to say as he examined Mr Hayama's face. "Where are your glasses?!" he asked in horror.

"Silly young man, on my head of course!" Mr Hayama said as he reached up to his head with one hand. Unfortunately, there were no glasses to be found. "Uh...well, we'll be fine. I've driven this truck thousands of times without my glasses. I only need them for reading anyway..."

Mr. Hayama began to pull the truck onto the highway heading toward Domino City. The trip itself only took fifteen minutes, so the guys weren't all to worried of an untimely death due to an auto accident. That is, until 5 minutes later...

"Hey Jay..", Syrus whispered next to him. "...I think we'll actually make it there in one piece! My life's stopped flashing before my eyes now."

"That's great Sy!", Jaden whispered back as he reclined in his seat and listened to another round of "The 12 Days of Christmas" on the radio. _"...and a Partridge in a Pear Tree,"_ Jaden sang to himself in his head.

"Say, does anyone really know how this song is really supposed to go?" Hassleberry asked while sitting cross legged in the back. "I mean, is it "twelve drummers drumming" or "twelve lords a leaping"?

"I thought it was twelve drummers drumming, eleven ladies dancing, and nine maids a milking," Syrus retorted as he glanced back at Hassleberry.

Mr. Hayama sighed, "The youth today can't even stop to remember traditional Christmas Carols. It goes "12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, ten lords a leaping..."

"AND FIFTY CARS A STOPPING!" yelled Jaden as he pointed to bumper to bumper traffic that was directly ahead of them.

"What? There is no such line in the _12 Days of Christmas_!" Mr. Hayama shouted at Jaden, completely unaware of what was going on ahead in the road.

"No, but I told my parents that _I'll Be Home for Christmas_!" Jaden yelled as he maneuvered his leg toward the break pedal.

The truck swerved back and forth before screeching to a stop only inches away from a blue Honda Accord. The woman inside, who had been talking on her cell phone, was now trembling at the thought of almost being hit.

"This is why you shouldn't talk on a cell phone while driving," Syrus said as he poked his head out toward the car. "Accidents could happen," he added with a sheepish smile.

The woman promptly fainted after hearing that remark.

"Hey, no sleeping at the wheel either," Sy said while pointing an accusing finger at the woman driver.

"Give it a rest private and get back in here!" Hassleberry said with a stern voice. "You're a duelist, not a cop."

Jaden was still slumped over Mr. Hayama and trying to catch his breath.

"Huff, Huff..Mr. Hayama?" Jaden asked.

"Yes Judai-kun?" said an unnerved Mr. Hayama.

"Maybe you should pay attention to the road a little better? I mean, without your glasses and all...," Jaden continued.

"You may be right...," Mr. Hayama said with a slight air of defeat in his voice. "Besides, it looks like we're not going anywhere anytime soon anyway. This traffic looks like it may be backed up for hours.", Mr. Hayama said as he slumped on the wheel.

The group just sat in the truck for the next few minutes, listening to the blaring horns of other cars and the angry motorists who were driving them.

"Looks like we won't make it to the Yule Duel now," Syrus said with his head in his hands.

"Come on private! We've got well over an hour to get to Domino Mall! There's got to be a way to put less miles between us and that place," Hassleberry said as he held his chin in thought.

"Hmm...", Jaden thought while staring out at the traffic. He poked his head out again to see if there was any chance of the traffic clearing up. The lines of cars seemed to go on forever.

"_Wow, we'd need help from above to get past this mess,"_ Jaden thought with his eyes closed.

"Jaden, hey Jaden!", shouted a familiar voice from far away.

"Huh?" Jaden said as his eyes snapped open. "What was that?" he wondered out.

"What was what Jay?" Syrus said as he moved back into the front seat again.

"I heard a voice." Jaden said with a bewildered tone. "It called my name!"

"Maybe its your Guardian Angel Jay," Syrus said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Jaden! Syrus! Is that you guys?!" said the voice a little louder this time.

"Whoa, now I'm hearing it too!" Syrus said in surprise.

"Me too...,"Hassleberry added.

"Who could it be?" Mr. Hayama questioned.

"Jaden! Syrus! Look up!" said the voice again. This time, a loud "whirring" sound could be heard with it.

"Clarence!" yelled Syrus all of a sudden. "Is that you?!"

Jaden, Hassleberry, and Mr. Hayama couldn't help but chuckle at the bespeckled boy's reaction.

"Who's Clarence? Is that another new roommate of yours at Duel Academy?!" said the now confused voice.

Jaden poked his head out of the truck's window and looked for the source of the whirring noise. Above was a chopper with the symbol _I2_ depicted on its side. Standing within the open sliding door was a familiar boy in a suit. His koala-like characteristics gave him away in a second.

"Hey Chumley!" Jaden yelled back as he waved. "What are you doing in town?"

"Helping Mr. Pegasus set up the Yule Duel at the Domino Mall! We ran out of grilled cheese, so I had to make a run to the store in the copter! Are you guys going there too?" Chumley attempted to yell over the chopper's whirring.

"Well, we were, but not anymore...," Jaden shouted back while pointing at the numerous cars ahead of them.

"Hang on a sec! I'll drop you guys a rope and you can hitch a ride with us," Chumley shouted back.

"Hold on Mr. Huffington! We don't have any clearance from Mr. Pegasus for any pick ups! The paper work for this alone would take months!" the chopper's pilot tried to explain over his shoulder.

"Don't worry! Mr. Pegasus likes Jaden. He helped out the company a month or two back. I think we can make an exception!" Chumley yelled back to the pilot as he hoisted a ladder over the side of the chopper.

"Hey wait a minute Jay...," Syrus said while pulling Jaden back into the van. "What about Mr. Hayama? We can't just leave him here in traffic! That's just rude."

"No, it is alright Sho-kun. Those who are young are drawn to great adventure. Whether it be crossing a treacherous, climbing the high peaks of the world, or avoiding traffic by catching a ride in a helicopter. It reminds me of my one trip when Solomon, Arthur, and I avoided head hunters by catching a ride on a hot air balloon. My point is that there is no disrespect when adventure calls," Mr. Hayama said with a serene smile.

"Wow...he called me Sho-kun.", Syrus said at random, causing Jaden and Hassleberry to fall over.

"As I've said before, my nicknames are a sign of endearment that I tend to give from time to time," Mr. Hayama explained. "Now catch that chopper! Do you know how much of a pain it is to keep a chopper steady at this time of the year with the winds? Go! Go!" said Mr. Hayama as he began pushing Jaden and Syrus out of the window with as of yet unforseen strength.

"Hey wait...what about you Hassleberry?!", Jaden said over his shoulder as he grasped the ladder

"Don't worry Sarge! Someone's got to stay here and make sure Mr Hayama makes it out of here safe. I'll catch up with you after!", Hassleberry said with a salute.

"Wow Hassleberry, that's noble of you!" Syrus said as he grasped the rope behind Jaden.

Hassleberry put on a heroic grin with that comment. _"...and I'll be a hero in Asuka's eyes!"_ Hassleberry thought to himself.

"I'm still not letting you date my daughter...," Mr. Hayama said flatly. "You are too young! I may not have glasses at the moment, but even I can see that!"

Hassleberry's heroic smile shattered to a frown in an instant.

"Still your respect for your elders is noted Tyranno.", Mr Hayma said with a nod.

"_Darn. I didn't even get an odd nickname yet!"_ Hassleberry thought, as tears streamed down his face.

Meanwhile, Jaden and Syrus had already ascended the ladder and were off with Chumley in the chopper.

"So you guys actually got time off for the holidays?!" Chumley said in surprise as he sat across from Jaden and Syrus. "I wish Shepard and the rest of the admin. had thought about this when I was a student."

"Yeah, its been great so far. Hassleberry and I finally got to meet Jaden's parents!" Syrus said in excitement.

"You mean he actually has parents?", Chumley said in a surprised tone.

"Of course Chum. Where did you think I came from, another dimension?" Jaden said with a smile.

"Well there was that. I thought you were a secret prince from another realm, with you seeing spirits and all that. Then I thought that maybe your parents were lost in a horrible accident. Then I just figured that you abandoned them to pursue a life in dueling," Chumley rattled of his thoughts with his arms crossed.

"Chum, you've been reading too many of those crazy stories on the computer haven't you?" Syrus said in an accusing tone.

"No I haven't. I also have random anime on my tv when I'm designing card as well," Chumley said while blushing a bit

"Mr. Huffington, were approaching the landing sight," the copter pilot called back to the guys.

"Alright!" Chumley answered back. "Ok, guys. What you're about to experience may be a little hectic and could mentally scar you for the rest of your life." he said in a darker, more serious tone.

"What do you mean? We've landed in helicopters before," Jaden said a bit confused.

"Yeah, but not like this. We had to set up the landing sight in the middle of the mall parking lot," Chumley said with a quiver in his voice.

"Whats so bad about that?" Jaden wondered.

Syrus was now sitting completely straight, his face was now a sheet of white. "Jaden, have you ever been in a mall parking lot near the holiday?" he said as he slowly turned his head.

"No, not really actually. My mom never let me go shopping with her on the days before. That and my Dad once locked himself in his bedroom when she asked if he could come with her. Frankly, I've never seen him so afraid in his life," Jaden explained.

"Well, you're about to get a literal crash course...," Syrus said in dark tone. "Maybe literally..."

The chopper was now within sight of the Domino Mall. The mall itself was five stories high to compensate for the lack of space in the downtown area. The building itself appeared to shimmer with a black glass like paneling and tinted windows. The corners of the mall itself appeared to have cobalt blue towers on each corner. These towers held elevators, stairways, and a number of televisions screens that advertised goods and services both within the mall and around Downtown Domino.

"The 5th floor, the entertainment complex was reserved for the Yule Duel today. Mr. Pegasus had the theater, concert area, and sporting complex "flash renovated" into a huge dueling ring.", Chumley explained as the chopper began to make its descent.

"Flash renovated?" Syrus questioned. "I never heard of such a thing."

"I have," Jaden said, causing Syrus to look at him in amazement.

"You have?" Syrus said.

"Remember when Vice Chancellor Bonaparte dueled Dr. Crowler in order to tear down the red dorm? Apparently there are workers skilled enough to perform jobs really quick and have places up and running in no time.", Jaden explained with an "as a matter of fact" tone.

Chumley shook his head in agreement. "Yeah, but the catch is that there has to be a structure there to begin with. They can't just build a whole office building in a day or anything like that," Chumley explained further.

"Wow, Pegasus really does know how to plan an event," Syrus said as he glanced out the window.

"Alright folks, prepare for landing and a quick departure!" the pilot yelled back to the guys.

As the chopper descended to the ground, Jaden could make out a bunch of cars surrounding the landing pad . It almost looked like a wagon train set up around a camp sight in the Old West. However, it didn't look like the occupants were protecting those in the circle.

The chopper finally landed and the door slid open.

"COME ON YOU JERKS!"said a disgruntled driver. "YOU'RE TAKING UP ALL OF THE PRECIOUS PARKING SPACES!"

"MACY'S HAS THEIR ONE DAY ONLY HOLIDAY SALE," shouted another woman from her car window.

"They have a ton of "one day only" sales lady", said a disntinctly deep voice. "Attention drivers, please find another place to park your cars! This space is reserved for Industrial Illusions employees only!" shouted the single-spike haired guard.

"Hey Kimo!" Chumley shouted to the guard, who was also dressed in a suit as well. "I need you to get these two to the Yule Duel on the pronto. They're going to be guests of Mr. Pegasus himself," he explained.

The muscular guard looked down at both Jaden and Syrus, causing Sy to cower behind Jaden a bit.

"Of course Mr. Huffington! Anything to get away from these animals," Kimo said as another armed guard was knocked over by an old woman on a scooter. "I'll have to give them the _special treatment_ though...," he said as he bent down.

"WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Syrus screamed in a panic as he was hoisted over Kimo's right shoulder.

Jaden laughing as he was hoisted over Kimo's left shoulder. "Man you're strong!" Jaden said with a big grin.

"Attention duelists, hold on tight. Its going to be a bumpy ride," Kimo said as the light glared over his sunglasses. "HAH!"

Kimo leapt over the blockade of cars and into the traffic beyond. Cars, vans, and trucks left and ride were driving wildly around the lot. People were yelling and cursing left and right as spots were stolen and others were cut off. All the while Syrus swore he could hear "Its Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas" over the malls P.A. system.

"WATCH IT YOU JERK!" yelled one motorist as Kimo leapt with the guys onto a car's hood.

"YOU PLANNING ON BEING THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT?" yelled another motorist as Kimo between two oncoming cars from opposite directions.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU RETARD!" shouted a woman driver as Kimo dove between a line of parked cars to catch a breath.

"Huff, huff. These _people_ are relentless," Kimo said a bit out of breath.

"Hahahahaha...you're amazing. Where'd you learn all of those moves?!" Jaden said with a twinkle in his eye.

Syrus now had swirls for eyeballs, and was mumbling the name "Clarence" over and over.

"Dance school. My mother made me take them until I was eighteen. I could have been on stage!" Kimo said with a bit of remorse in his voice. "Anyway, we're only a few rows away from the main entrance, so hold on!" he said as he sprung back out into the chaos that was the parking lot.

What occurred next could best be described as a happening in slow motion. The large glass doorways were only yards away. The blaring of the horns and the shouts of the disgruntled motorists were muffled by Jaden's heartbeat as Kimo inched closer and closer to their goal.

Jaden's heartbeat grew louder and louder as the trio approached the curb. Until...

"LOOK OUT!" Jaden heard Syrus scream as he snapped his head to the right.

A flash of red, Syrus and Kimo's screams, and the sound of ukelele music were all Jaden heard as everything went black.

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Remember! The Ghosts of Christmas' Past

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._**  
**

**Turn 5: Remember! The Ghosts of Christmas' Past!**

Jaden had dueled many opponents since his enrollment at Duel Academy. He had faced the Shadow Riders, empowered by magic and sorcery to enhance their dueling skills. He had fought the Sacred Beasts, creatures that could go toe to toe with the God Cards. Heck, he had even faced a God Card as well and succeeded in saving its spirit. It seemed that no matter what life threw at him, Jaden could always pull through in the end. At least, this is usually true when the challenge involved a certain card game that his life revolved around. Whether or not this principal held true with things outside of Duel Monster has yet to be decided...

"Ugh.", Jaden moaned to himself. "What hit me?", he said as he began to slowly open his eyes. "Oh yeah...a car!", he finally realized as his eyes shot open.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to see, but darkness.

"What?!?", Jaden gasped in surprise. "Hey, how long was I out?", he asked to an audience that was not there. "Sy? Syrus you there?", he calls out into the abyss, his voice echoing into the unseen distance.

"Jaden...", a voice replies back. The voice is soft and familiar.

"Mom? Is that you?", he calls out.

"Jaden...", again the voice replies. Again, it is soft and yet so familiar.

"Who's there?", he strains to call out once again.

A small fuzz appears among the darkness, surrounded by aura of light.

"Kuri!", shouts the newly formed Winged Kuriboh.

"Kuriboh!", he shouted as he grabbed a hold of the little monster spirit.

"Hey, wait a minute...", Jaden thought out loud. "If I can hold onto you, then we're in a spirit world, like the Gravekeeper's World or Neospace!", Jaden shouted with relief.

"Kur",Winged Kuriboh replied with a horizontal motion.

"No? Then where are we pal?", Jaden asked.

Winged Kuriboh flew closer to Jaden and began to bump against his head.

"Ow, ow...ok, I get it. We're in my mind aren't we?", Jaden

"Kuri!", the little monster responded with a "nod."

Suddenly, the abyss began to dissolve away around the two, as light and sound filled their surroundings again. The sound of laughter, the smell of fresh air, and light reflected off of fresh fallen snow had enveloped Jaden.

"Where are we?", Jaden wondered as he glanced around.

Before Jaden and Winged Kuriboh was a park that was situated around a small, frozen pond. To the right was a large playground, now covered with layers of snow. To the left of the playground there were a bunch of stone tables with small wooden "stumps" placed on either side.

"Hey...", Jaden said with growing recognition. "I know this place! We're in Anzu Park! The playground, the tables where people would play Go and Shogi. I remember now", Jaden said with excitement as he looked of to the left.

Multiple paths, both for pedestrians and bikers, wove around park ground, encircling the small pond that lay in the middle. At the far end of the pond there was a Gazebo, where a crowd was gathering. Four figures in particular stood out to among the ground...

"No way, it couldn't be!", Jaden said as he ran toward the crowd, while Winged Kuriboh fluttered after him in pursuit.

As the two drew closer to the crowd, Jaden could make out a conversation between two of the smaller figures.

"When are they going to light it already?", said a small boy with black hair that spiked downward.

"Oh come on Koyo, you know that the mayor has to talk about himself for 15 minutes before they light the tree", explained a dark hair girl as she crossed her arms.

"I know that Asuka, but I can still be excited!", said the boy with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"...and you're supposed to be the oldest out of us!", the girl said as she stuck her tongue out at the raven haired boy.

"Oh wow.", Jaden thought to himself. "Koyo and Asuka as kids, and arguing with one another. Man, this brings back memories.", Jaden said with a chuckle. "Hey, wait a minute!", Jaden exclaimed as he turned to Winged Kuriboh. "So this is a memory of mine, right?, Jaden asked the little duel monster.

"Kuri!", Winged Kuriboh said with a happy chirp.

"I guess I'll take that as a yes.", Jaden said as he turned back to the crowd. "So if Koyo and Asuka are here, then...", Jaden wondered to himself as he saw a smaller boy standing by the other two. He looked toward the boy, who only appeared to be about five or six years old. He wore a hooded, red jacket and black snow pants, while a red and black hat covered his two toned hair.

"Thats me!", Jaden shouted as his eyes widened in surprise.

The little boy tugged on the young Asuka's sleeve. "Hey Asuka?", said the young Jaden in a squeeky young voice.

Asuka stopped her current angry staring match with Koyo and turned the boy and smiled.

"Yes, what is it Jaden-kun?", she answered with a happy expression.

"When is the " twee" going to light up?", young Jaden asked in an innocent voice.

Asuka placed her hand on young Jaden's head. "Very soon, you'll see. ", she answered in a sweet voice.

Koyo just stood there and smiled at his younger friend.

"Heh Heh", said the fourth figure standing with the kids, who appeared somewhat short. "You young-ones always seem to find a reason to argue about something. You're lucky Judai-kun is around to break up your squabble."

"Oh wow..", Jaden thought aloud. "I forgot how Mr. Hayama and Asuka used to babysit me all of the time. He really hasn't changed that much all of this time"

Jaden was correct. Mr. Hayama looked about the same as he did now. Except for the presence of more, darker hair on top of his head and the lack of wrinkles, he hadn't really changed.

"_At least he remembered to wear his glasses back then ."_, Jaden thought to himself as he continued to look on.

The tree in question was placed to the right of the Gazebo, where the mayor was still making his speech to the towns people. The tree itself was strung with thousands of lights and gold and white, bead-like objects. One of course could only see this upon closer inspection, due to the tree itself not being lit yet.

Jaden watched his younger self rock back and forth on his heels, making snow crunch under his feet more and more. While the rest of the group went back to paying attention to the mayor, Jaden just looked around the crowd.

"_He sure likes to talk a lot."_, younger Jaden thought to himself as he yawned.

Present day Jaden was also yawning at this point. "Man, this guy did like to hear himself talk,.", he said out loud. "So, why are we here anyway Winged Kuriboh?" , he asked as he turned to the little duel monster again.

Winged Kuriboh began to motion toward Jaden's younger self again.

"Alright, I'll keep watching.", Jaden said as he put his hands in his pockets.

Younger Jaden had gotten to the point where he couldn't take just standing around anymore, as if any other kid could. He looked up toward the three older members of the group, who were each in a complete daze themselves while waiting for the mayor to finish his speech. Koyo was even mouthing the words "Game on, Game on...", while nodding his head back and forth slightly. This was Jaden's chance to have a little fun!

"_I'll only look around "fow" a few minutes"_, thought the younger Jaden as he started to creep away from the group and move around the back end of the crowd.

It seemed that everyone was too busy paying attention to notice the crunching of small feet in the snow behind them. Jaden made his way over to the right, heading toward the playground area. The soft glow of the sun still shown over the horizon, so it was still bright enough for young Jaden to see his way around.

"Some babysitters...", Jaden thought aloud, with a twinge of disappointment in his voice.

At this, he and Winged Kuriboh began to follow his younger self on this little adventure of his.

Younger Jaden walked over to the gate that surrounded the playground, only to see that it was locked up for the Winter.

"Aww...", he said out loud. "All the adults have to do is _bwush_ the snow off of the swings! We could still "wide" them!", young Jaden muttered to himself. "I'm sure that Eskimos got swings where they live!"

Young Jaden admitted defeat and plopped himself on top of a snow covered "stump" by one of the tables. "Its not fair.", he said as he crossed his arms while pouting.

(A/N: For all of you Jaden/Judai fan girls out there, this is getting pretty cute for you isn't it?)

"Well its true isn't it?, older Jaden asked Winged Kuriboh. "All they had to do was brush off the equipment and it would have been fine!", he tried to explain.

Wing Kuriboh just sweat dropped at its partner's immaturity.

All of a sudden, a small whimper reached both older and younger Jaden's ears.

"Whats that?", they both asked simultaneously.

Younger Jaden hopped off of his seat and began to look for the source of this sound. He could now hear sniffling and crying.

"Hello?", he asked in a quiet voice. "Is someone out _thewe_?", he asked in a slightly stronger tone.

Jaden and Winged Kuriboh followed the boy as he made his way around the playground gate and hopefully toward the source of the crying.

Younger Jaden squinted to see who or what was crying out here in the snow. His eyes finally fell upon a small figure, sitting on a bench under a tree by the pond.

"Who's that?", he thought to himself as he made his way closer to the figure slowly.

Jaden and Kuriboh continued to look on at the scene before them.

"Hello?", young Jaden said again as he got closer to the small figure. "_Awe_ you _huwt?_, he asked the figure.

Upon closer inspection, the figure appeared to be a young girl, around the same age as younger Jaden himself. She was dressed up in a light blue and white jacket, blue snow pants, and had white mittens and ear muffs. She also had brown-blonde hair drawn up into a pony tail.

The young girl herself was holding her knees to her chest, allowing her head to rest on them. Tear trails trickled down her two presently rosey cheeks,

Young Jaden sat down next to the little girl. "Can you talk?, he asked innocently.

The young girl lifted her head up and turned to the younger boy, her eyes glistening with tears. "Yeah.", she said softly

"Why are you _cwying_?", the young boy asked as he kept looking at the young girl.

"_Sniff_...I can't find my brother. He brought me to see the tree, while our parents visited some friends.", she answered as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I got lost with all of the people and...and...", she started before she began to cry again.

Young Jaden just kept looking at the girl.

"_What do I do?"_, he thought to himself. _"Maybe Asuka and Koyo can help..."_, the young boy thought to himself.

"_Who is this girl?"_, Jaden thought to himself. "Why don't I remember any of this?", Jaden wondered out loud as he continued to look on.

Meanwhile, Young Jaden stood up and held his hand to the girl.

"I've got _fwiends_ who can help you find your brother. Come with me?", he asked.

The girl wiped her eyes and looked at the boy. He was giving her one of the biggest and goofiest smiles she had ever seen.

"You sure?", she asked.

"_Twust_ me.", young Jaden said with an even bigger grin.

The young girl got up and slowly grabbed a hold of the boy's hand.

"_He seems really nice."_ the young girl thought as the boy led her back toward the crowd.

"So what does your _bwother_ look like?, young Jaden asked as he turned back to the girl.

The girl looked slightly surprised at how happy this boy was.

"Uh...he's a year older than me, has a jacket with hawaiian flowers, brown hair, and he's pretty tall.", the girl tried to explain, while trying to keep up with young Jaden.

"He's only a little than you and your _pawents_ let you go by yourselves? I always need a babysitter...", young Jaden said with a grumble.

The young girl couldn't help but smile at the young boy's annoyance.

"My mom and dad are in a house across the street from the park. They think he's sooooooo mature for his age.", the young girl said as she rolled her eyes. "They don't see him playing his little guitar all the time in his room."

"A guitar?", Jaden asked as the two drew closer to the crowd again. "Thats so cool! Does he play rock and roll music?", young Jaden asked in excitement.

Meanwhile, present-day Jaden and Winged Kuriboh were trying to catch up to the two kids.

"_Huff_..._Huff_...", Jaden spouted. "Man, I forgot...how fast...I used to be.", he said as he continued to run after the kids. "How come I'm feeling tired from running? How can a spirit get tired?" he asked as he turned to Winged Kuriboh, who was now perched on his right shoulder. It just made a motion that could be recognized as a shrug.

"HEY! YOUR NOT HELPING!", Jaden shouted to the little monster.

Jaden turned back toward where the two kids. They were nearing where Mr. Hayama and the others were still standing. Mr. Hayama's head was now pointing down as he snored lightly. Koyo and Asuka were doing the same, except that they were leaning against each other to stay up.

"Mr. Hayama, Mr. Hayama!", young Jaden shouted as he and the girl neared the group.

"Hmm? Huh.? What?" the younger Mr. Hayama mumbled as he slowly lifted his head. "Is the tree lit already?", he said as he glanced around.

"MR HAYAMA!", young Jaden yelled again as he tugged on his jacket sleeve.

"What is it Judai-kun?", he said groggily as turned to Jaden.

"I found this girl. She was over there.", young Jaden said quickly as he pointed toward the playground. "She was crying. I asked her why. Anyway, she lost her brother and I thought we could help her. Oh, and do you know anything about small guitars called uku-somethings?", he finished with a huge gasp for air.

"Hmm...what?", Asuka, said as she began to awaken. "Father, what's going on? Is the tree lit already?", Asuka asked as she turned to see what was going on. Upon seeing that she was leaning next to Koyo though... "AHHH!", she said as she jumped away from Koyo, causing him to fall face first into the snow.

"WHOA!", the raven haired boy shouted on his way down.

"Ewww... I have cooties all over me!", Asuka shrieked.

"Now, now Asuka...", Mr. Hayama said sternly to his daughter. "You know that there is no such thing as cooties. Demonic mites that may possess a person through there skin, maybe, but not cooties!", Mr. Hayama said with a nod.

"Um...guys?", young Jaden said pointing to the young girl again.

"Oh yes.", Mr. Hayama said, remembering what they were talking about. "Now it is your brother that we are looking for little one?", he said as he bent down slightly to get to eye level with the girl.

The young girl just nodded as she gripped young Jaden's hand tight again.

"OW!", shouted a muffled Koyo, causing everyone to glance over. "You know...", he said as he began to lift himself out of the snow. "Next time Asuka, just ask me to move!", he continued as he brushed the snow from his face.

As Koyo looked over at the young girl, a confused expression began to spread over his face.

"Oh great! Thanks Asuka, now I'm having trouble seeing. I'm seeing short copies of you now!", Koyo said as he rubbed his eyes more.

"Koyo-kun, this young girl is real!", Asuka said sternly as she motioned to her.

"Oh...wow, talk about resemblance...", Koyo said scratching his head

"Can we help her find her _bwother alweady_!", young Jaden shouted again.

"Heehee", the little girl laughed at the young boy's temper again.

"Yes, we will Judai-kun...", Mr, Hayama said as he lead the group around to look for the young girl's brother.

The Present Day Jaden just stood there with Winged Kuriboh as they watched the group look for the girl's brother. He still couldn't figure it out.

"I'm still not following pal.", he said as he turned to Winged Kuriboh. "Who is that girl? What am I supposed to remember?"

"Kuri", Winged Kuriboh chirped again as it fluttered on ahead.

"Hey, wait up pal. If I lose you, then I'll never get home! Even though I am home...sort of...", Jaden said as he followed the little monster.

Jaden watched as Mr. Hayama, Koyo, and Asuka went from person to person, asking if anyone was looking for a little girl. All the while the young girl walked close to the younger Jaden, holding his hand as tight as ever. His presence seemed to comfort her.

"You've heard nothing of a young girl being lost? Fine then, thank you.", Mr. Hayama said in a defeated tone.

He turned to young Jaden and his friend and kneeled down. "Judai-kun, it looks like we'll have to bring this girl over to the police. They will have a better chance of finding her than we can I'm afraid.", Mr. Hayama said as he bowed his head slightly.

Hearing this caused the girl to grip onto young Jaden's arm and whimper slightly.

He looked over at her with a sad look in his eyes and suddenly put his arm around her.

"Can she at least stay with us until they light the _twee_?", he asked. " I don't want her to be really sad.", he said with a glimmer of tears in his eyes.

Mr. Hayama looked at the two for a moment and then sighed

"I think we can manage that at least.", he said as he lead the two over to where Koyo and Asuka were waiting.

Shogi Town's mayor had finally finished his excessively long holiday speech as his escorts began to set up the main switch to the tree.

Young Jaden and the others had inched there way to the front of the crowd, standing before the two story evergreen tree.

"...and now my friends!", the mayor began. "May I wish to you and all of yours a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a most wonderful New Year!", he shouted as he threw the switch.

An almost heavenly glow erupted from the tree, causing "oohs" and "ahhs" to emanate from the adults in the crowd. The children throughout the group cheered as the lights sparkled all over the fresh fallen snow.

Jaden and Winged Kuriboh just stood there in awe at the beauty of the tree. The small bead-like objects hanging from the branches acted like tiny prisms, making the tree itself glow with different colors of the rainbow.

Young Jaden and the Girl stood before the tree and laughed as they were blown away by the spectacle before them

Mr. Hayama, Koyo, and Asuka all had large smiles on there faces as the observed the tree's warm glow against the dark Winter sky.

Suddenly, a voice could ne heard in the distance.

"Lexi!? Lexi, is that you?!?", said the voice as it came closer to the group.

The young girl turned away from the tree to see a young boy running toward her. His brown hair disheveled and his flower print jacket ruffling back and forth.

The girl smiled brightly and started to run toward the boy.

"Atty!" the girl yelled as she jumped into the boy's arms. "Where were you? I was so scared!", she said as tears of joy began to stream down her face.

"I know, I was scared too!", the boy said as tears streamed down his face. "I thought you were right next to me before, but then the crowd started to get bigger and bigger. The next thing I knew, you were gone!", he explained. "I'm sorry. I'll never ever lose you again!"

"Same here...", the girl said as she gave her brother an even tighter hug.

Young Jaden and the rest of the group were all smiling as they watched the reunion before them.

Koyo turned to Asuka and noticed a tear roll down her face.

"Heh. Typical girl, getting all choked up over a...", Koyo started before a big "WHACK" was heard, leaving him face down on the ground.

"OW!", he said again, his voice muffled by the snow.

Asuka turned once again to see the girl in front of young Jaden again.

"Thank you very much...", the girl said while blushing a bit.

Young Jaden reached behind his head and smiled again.

"Heh. It wasn't any _pwoblem_. I just like helping out _fwiends_ and...", Jaden started to say before the girl gave him a big hug.

Naturally, Jaden face was glowing as red as one of the lights on the tree.

"Atty" walked over toward Mr. Hayama and bowed before him. "Thank you for finding my sister sir."

Mr. Hayama moved over to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Heh. You are not very observant are you young one. Your sister already knows who the real hero is. Jaden was the one that found her and brought her back to us to begin with.", he explained.

"Atty" walked over to Jaden, who the girl had released from the hug. He was still blushing out of control before the older boy clasped his shoulder.

"Thanks again Jaden. I really appreciate what you did", he said before turning to the girl.

"Come on Lex. Mom and Dad are probably worried sick about us.", he said as he led the young girl away.

As they began to walk away, Young Jaden finally fell out of his trance and called out, "Hey wait! What's your name again?"

The girl turned back toward the group and shouted, "My name is Alexis Rhodes!"

"What is it?", young Jaden shouted again, due to the wind picking up.

"My name is Alexis Rhodes!", the girl shouted one last time.

"A..lex..is", young Jaden said to himself.

Present day Jaden was now on the ground with a dumbfound look on his face.

"Wh...wh...what? I met Alexis before going to Duel Academy?!?", Jaden stammered to himself

He turned to Winged Kuriboh and asked, "But, what does that mean?!? Why am I supposed to remember this?!?"

Winged Kuriboh just floated above Jaden as the light around them began to fade once again, taking it with it.

"Hey, wait a minute!", Jaden shouted in a panic as the world around him returned to a black void again. "Winged Kuriboh, what's the point?!?", he shouted.

"Jaden...", the voice could be heard again, echoing around him.

"Who's there?", Jaden said once again, feeling an intense sense of deja vu.

"JADEN!", the voice shouted as the void erupted into light again.

"He's waking up!", another voice said.

"You're sure there were no signs of internal bleeding or damage?", said another voice.

"No, only the largest of the three sustained any major damage. He took the brunt of the impact." , said another voice

"_Where am I? Who's talking around me? Why does my chest feel heavy?"_, Jaden thought to himself as he began to open his eyes.

"Bro are you ok?", said one of the shapes that were appearing in Jaden's vision.

"Say something Sarge!", said another voice.

"I've killed Jaden Yuki!", cried another voice.

"No you didn't Atticus-san. Did you not listen to the Doctor?", another shape said.

Jaden noticed that there was one shape that was larger than all of the other one. This shape seemed to be crying. He squinted more to see if he could make out who that shape was.

Slowly, the world began to shift back into order, as Jaden's sight returned to him, Now he could tell that the person laying on top of him and crying was...

"Alexis?", Jaden said weakly as he looked at the young female duelist. Dressed in a dark blue sweater, the female duelist was laying on Jaden's chest and smiling at him. Tears were still rolling down her face as she stared back at him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living...", she said as she gave him a light hug.

_To Be Continued..._

_ (A/N: Hey Everyone. Check out "Deck the Duels: The Cast Specials" and have a chance to interact with the cast.)  
_


	6. Flashbacks Galore! Filling in the Gaps

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._**  
**

**Turn 6: Flashbacks Galore! Filling in the Gaps!**

(A/N: Pay close attention to the time stamps when reading this chapter.)

**Domino City: 2:00 PM 12/23/XX**

"This is Chip Wallace, your "Domino eye in the sky", coming to you live from high above the Domino City expressway. If any of our viewers out there have been ho-ho-holding out on there holiday shopping until today, you may have a snag in your travel plans. An unprecedented 80 car pile is snarling traffic on the Highway 21-Westbound, leading straight into the heart of downtown Domino.", the chopper reporter announced as he leaned his head out the window. "It looks like traffic could be backed up for hour here folks. Just when you thought holiday traffic couldn't get any worse!"

"Chip, we're getting details back here in the studio that the cause of this accident was a rather unusual one. Reports are coming in that a blond individual, possibly a transsexual, was seen fleeing the scene of the initial crash. Can you confirm any of this?", news anchor Shep Smith questioned from the Domino News Studio.

"That's correct Shep.", the reporter yelled over the roar of the chopper. "Unfortunately, we can't fully confirm who the individual is. The two vehicles that caused the initial crash were to heavily damaged to fully identify them. Although sources say that one of the vehicles looked like a delivery truck. Only the word "Horizon" could be identified from the wreckage.", the reporter continued to explain as the camera zoomed in on a the remains of a very familiar delivery truck. "Witnesses say that the blond individual who fled the scene was dressed in a European fashion and was speaking broken Italian. Furthermore, he was raving about being left behind and how he had a P.H.D. in something."

"So do the police have any leads on the culprit?", Shep Smith further questioned.

"At this time Shep, it appears that local detectives are pinning this individual as an escapee from the New Horizons Insane Asylum. This speculation has led the Domino Police Department to block off the highway and freeze all movement in and out of downtown. They advise that if you see this individual, do not approach him and immediately call the D-PD.", the highway reported concluded.

"Alright, thanks Chip. We'll have further developments on this situation throughout the day, with a full report at 6 and 11 tonight. With this Domino News Break, I'm Shep Smith.", the reporter concluded before the screen faded to black.

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**Domino City, Highway-21 Westbound (1:30 PM)**

"There he goes! Get him! Don't let him get away!", multiple voices barked through the smoke covered highway.

"Mama Mia!", a certain blond exclaimed as he ran away from the scene of the crash.

Through the smoke an extremely disheveled and exhausted Vellian Crowler could be seen literally leaping over vehicle after vehicle. To his left and right, cars, vans, and at least one semi truck were crunched together with one another. Car alarms were blaring all around the Duel scholar as he ran from the police.

"Huff...huff, have to find Pegasus!", he hissed under his breath. "I must also remember to suspend that infernal dino-dueling friend of that slacker when I get back. That, and sue the old man he was with as well. Honestly, some people shouldn't be allowed to drive after a certain age!", the exhausted Duel scholar thought as he catapulted himself over a Toyota Sienna. "My track experience is actually proving useful!"

The good doctor continued fleeing the wreckage, making a B-line straight for the Domino Mall.

(A/N: Don't worry, there will be details on what happened.)

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**Domino Mall: Emergency Medical Ward, Basement Level (2:00 PM)**

"Ok, so lets recap what happened.", Jaden thought to himself as Alexis continued to hug the disoriented duelist. "First, Sy and I were being carried through a parking lot that looked like a war zone. Check! Next thing I know, I'm having this insane flashback from my childhood, hosted by Winged Kuriboh. Something about me knowing Lex before going to Duel Academy. Check again! Now I'm lying hear in a bed with all a bunch of my friends around me, and Lex is hugging me! The strange thing is, I feel really warm in my chest right now...", Jaden continued to wonder before a tug on his right arm interrupted him.

A teary-eyed Atticus Rhodes was kneeling on the ground and trembling.

"CAN YOU FORGIVE ME JADEN?", Atticus yelled before erupting into a string of whimpers and sobs.

"HUH?", Jaden answered in surprise.

"Yeah Jay. It was Atticus that kind of, to be blunt, nailed us in the parking lot", Syrus explained as Jaden turned toward him. 

Sy only had one bandage on his left cheek to show from the accident. Besides his jacket being a little dirty, it looked like he came out practically unscathed. 

Jaden eyes widened at this site before he said, "Sy, you look great for being hit by a car!"

An embarrassed smile crept along Syrus' face when he pointed to the mirror on the adjacent wall, "Well, we both kind of lucked out really."

Jaden looked over and saw himself laying back on a stretcher, Alexis still holding him tightly. He also saw his face looking beet red as well. Besides a bandage wrapped around his forehead, Jaden looked like he had minimal damage as well.

He turned back to Syrus and said, "Ok, so what the heck happened?"

Before Syrus could open his mouth again, another more scathing voice replied for him, "I'll tell you what happened, you lucked out. You should try playing Vegas sometime kid, you win it big probably."

A man in a light blue shirt and dark gray jacket limped into the room on a cane. The fact that he was using a cane was somewhat odd, since he appeared to be only in his late 40's or early fifties. He had brown hair and an unshaven face, which conveyed an expression of disinterest to those in the room.

After popping some unknown pills into his mouth, the doctor spoke again, "My name is Doctor Gregory House. Please, don't get up. I don't want to interrupt you two."

Jaden and Alexis both blushed at this comment, as Alexis finally released Jaden from her embrace.

Doctor House continued, "To be honest. Simple cuts and bruises are really my "thing." The only reason I'm here is because my "boss" had me do a favor."

"A favor?", Hassleberry said in disbelief.

"Yes, a favor!", Dr. House interjected. "A multi-millionare guy who dresses in red pajamas and watches cartoons while drinking wine. Sounds like Hugh Hefner with a childhood complex. But when he donates a large sum to a teaching hospital, the guy is a god to Cuddy!", he finishes with a fake waving of the hand to feign faith.

"So the favor is...", Alexis continues.

Dr. House began with a sigh, "To just makes sure nothing goes wrong at this card tournament thing. People do more stupid things around the holidays than any other time of the year.", he continued to lecture while walking over to a curtain on the other side of the room. "Case in point!"

Dr. House pulled back the curtain to reveal what appeared to be an over sized mummy with pointed hair sticking out of the wrapping.

A collective gasp was heard throughout the room.

"K...Kimo!", Jaden shouted in surprise.

Dr. House leaned against the bed and tapped the bandaged figure with his cane.

"Good thing his insurance actually covers this...", Dr.House said in an apathetic tone. "Now, if you'll excuse me. My presence is requested upstairs by the idiots in charge of this farce.", he announced before moving toward the door. "Honestly, why can't they have a blackjack tournament with call girls in santa outfits? Wilson would enjoy that...", he said to himself before he left.

The gang continued to stare at the door for a minute after his departure..

"Wow, talk about a bed side manner.", Jaden said with a chuckle before he looked around the room again. 

Alexis and Syrus were still to the right of him. Atticus was still wiping away his tears on the floor. Then there were Mr. Hayama and Hassleberry at the end of the bed and...

"Hold on a second! Mr. Hayama? Hassleberry? When did you guys get here?", Jaden said in surprise.

"Always perceptive aren't you Judai-kun?", Mr Hayama said while he rolled his eyes.

Hassleberry patted the old man on the shoulder and took center stage with strained smile on his face.

"Well Sarge, it's a long story...", Hassleberry began.

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**Domino City, Highway-21 Westbound (1:15 PM)**

The traffic on Highway-21 Westbound had eased up to a certain degree, and traffic was moving slowly and steadily. At least this was true for most motorists...

"Honestly Hassleberry-kun, I do not need help driving!", Mr. Hayama shouted to his passenger as the truck swerved back and forth at varying degrees. 

"Yes sir.", Hassleberry replied with caution. "But it would do this duelist's heart good to at least grip the wheel...", he finished with a gulp.

Motorists on either side of the "Beyond the Horizon", delivery truck had been hugging the shoulders of the roadway, hoping to avoid any problems. One such vehicle was a van that had the label "Domino Social Services" on its doors. The car was being driven by a dark haired man , with a blond haired women seated next to him.

"Honestly Jerry...", the woman said as he turned his head slightly to her colleague. "...can't people show a little hospitality to the homeless around the holidays? Our shelters are filling up like crazy!"

"Well Linda..." the man replied while trying to avoid the swerving truck to his right. "...everyone else is so caught up with the commercialism and everything, that they forget what's really important. Still, I'll give this one to you though. Anyone dressed like _that_ has to be desperate for some food and warmth."

In the rear view mirror, Dr. Crowler could be seen curled up in a fetal position in the back seat, sucking his thumb as he slept.

"This lady must have had it rough. Looking at her face, it seems like she was in an accident or something...", the male social worker continued.

"Um, Jerry? I think that's a guy...", Linda said as she pointed into the back seat.

"Really?", Jerry said in disbelief.

Meanwhile, back in the delivery truck, a watch alarm started to go off.

"Aiyah! I can't believe its that late already!", Mr. Hayama said as he turned the alarm off.

"Late for what?', Hassleberry asked as he kept his eyes on the road.

"My medicine.", the shop owner stated, as he pulled out a prescription bottle. "Its to help keep eyesight in good condition.", he explained as he popped two of the pills in his mouth.

_The irony..._, Hassleberry thought to himself. 

"Yes. I am a man that takes pride in his health!", Mr. Hayama proclaimed.

"Hey wait a minute.", Hassleberry thought out loud. "There aren't any side effects with these pills are there?", he asked as he turned his head and "thud" noise was heard.

The sight that greeted Hassleberry was one of horror. It was a sight that no one should ever be forced to witness. Mr. Hayama was slumped over the wheel of the van, sleeping! His loud snoring and the drool that was coming out of his mouth was a dead give away.

"SAM HILL!", Hassleberry screamed as the van started to rapidly swerve out of control.

Though the van wasn't accelerating that much, in a nearly grid-locked traffic, it didn't matter. Mr. Hayama's shifting weight on the wheel caused Hassleberry to be thrown back and forth in the front seat.

"Got to...", Hassleberry began before being thrown to his left. "get to the...", he continued before he was pitched to the right. "...wheel!"

Meanwhile, in the Social Service truck...

"Aww crud!", Jerry said as he tried to dodge the delivery truck that was swerving into him. "What does that jerk think he's doing?

Linda was gripping onto Jerry and began to hyperventilate, "He's going to hit us, he's goin' t' hit us, he goin..."

In the back, Dr. Crowler began to stir.

"Mmm, No Chancellor, I wouldn't think about replacing you.", he mumbled in his sleep. "The best Duel Academy has you say? Well you may be right..."

"I can't keep dodging this guy for too long! Its to close!", Jerry said as he looked in horror as the delivery truck drew closer to the van.

Hassleberry still wasn't having any luck on his end either.

"Darn it! I've got to move him!", Hassleberry told himself as he tried to get close enough to Mr. Hayama to tear him off of the wheel.

The last swerve that had frightened the social workers was the same one that had thrown Hassleberry into the back of the truck. Mr. Hayama's was still hugging the steering wheel, as he continued to dream.

"Ahh my darling wife. It has been so long. Have you lost weight?", he mumbled in his sleep.

"I'm almost there!", Hassleberry proclaimed as he gripped onto the driver's seat and dragged himself up. "Now to just grab onto him slowly.", he said as he eased his arms around the slumbering shop owner. "Nice and easy-like.", he said with an air of caution.

Attempting to stay calm in such a situation was nerve racking and thus pretty counter-productive. Still, Hassleberry slowly began to pull the smaller man away from the wheel, along with the blocks that he used to accelerate and break. He was almost home free, until...

"Let me feel those nice curved shoulders that I've love for so long...", Mr. Hayma said as he stroked the steering wheel harshly to the right.

"Aw SNAP!", Hassleberry shouted as he held on the shop owner for dear life as they were jettisoned out the driver side window and onto the hood of the social worker's van.

"AHHHHH!", the social workers screamed in unison as they saw Hassleberry's horrified face and Mr. Hayama's really complacent one facing back at them.

"What's going on?", Dr. Crowler said as he slowly arose from the back seat and wiped his eyes. "I was having such a great...Aiyeeeee!", he screeched at the site of the two men on the windshield and the delivery truck that was swerving into them.

The delivery truck finally collided with the van, and sent it barrel rolling over the barrier and onto the grassy median. Hassleberry and Mr. Hayama were sent flying over onto the grass before the first roll, while Jerry and Linda jumped for their lives out of the window on the second roll. Only Dr. Crowler was left as the van was sent rolling back and forth on the median. 

"What did I do to deserve this?", Dr. Crowler cried in agony as tears streamed down his face.

The radio in the van could still be heard playing "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", as various crashes, horns and car alarms were still heard coming from the highway.

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**Domino Mall: Emergency Medical Ward, Basement Level (2:10 PM)**

"After that...", Hassleberry continued. "...some EMT people showed up and transported those of us with minor injuries to here. Anyone who was seriously injured was transported straight to Domino General for treatment."

"Hmph!", Mr Hayama said as he turned away from Hassleberry. "As if anyone would believe that story!" 

"Not again!", Hassleberry said as he rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you sir? That's what happened."

"You should try writing stories on the "interweb" Mr. Hassleberry. They'd believe you there!", Mr. Hayama finished as he crossed his arms. "And to think that I didn't have insurance on that particular van either!"

Everyone just face faulted with that comment.

Jaden finally tuned to Atticus, who had calmed down considerably and sat cross-legged on the floor.

"So, what's your story bro?", Jaden asked as he peered at Atticus on the floor.

Atticus took a deep breath and said, "Well, it all started about 3 hours ago..."

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**Domino Mall Parking Lot (11:30 A.M)**

"I'm telling you sis, I can't believe your doing this all for your "boyfriend.", Atticus said with a chuckle as he winked to his sister in the passenger seat.

"Its not like that!", Alexis exclaimed as her blushing face said otherwise. "Its just that Jaden has done so much for me that I felt like I should pay him back somehow. Besides, this tournament will help keep my dueling in top form for when we head back to the Academy."

"Sure, I'll buy that for now.", Attifcus said as he pulled up to the main mall entrance. "Either way, good luck in their Lex. I'll be rooting for you!"

Alexis got out of the car and walked over to the driver's side.

"First of all, you know there is more to dueling then just luck.", Alexis began to lecture to her brother, who rolled his eyes his eyes. "Second, I think you'll need all the luck yourself bro.", she said as she pointed out into the lot, before turning to go in.

Atticus just sat there and watched his sister walk in before thinking, _Deny it all you want sis',but I know your feelings for Jaden run a whole lot deeper._

"Hey buddy! What are you, a celebrity? Move your car!", a disgruntled motorist yelled from behind Atticus.

"All right, all right!", Atticus yelled as he put his car into gear. _Sheesh, what happened to peace on Earth and good will toward men?_, he thought to himself as he drove back into the lot.

Atticus had experience in this type of environment before. He had gone Christmas shopping with his mom many times before, so the sight of this war zone of a parking lot wasn't a surprise to him.

Mrs. Rhodes had always seen her son as an asset when it came to picking out gifts for relatives. Whether it be his unusual flare for fashion or his instinct in picking out gifts, the boy was just an all around natural shopper.

Unfortunately, those skills were of no use to the young man as he attempted to navigate around the lot.

"Geez, people are always uptight at this time of year.", he said aloud as he turned into the next row of cars. "A lot of these people just have to learn to lean back and be grateful for what they have in life. That's what its all about.", Atticus lectured to an unseen audience. "With that said...", he stated before he pressed a button on his radio.

Christmas Carols being strung on a ukulele could now be heard emanating from Atticus' car as he drove on to find a parking space.

_Hmm, maybe I can catch someone leaving the parking garage._, he thought to himself. _No one would ever dream of there being an open space there._

Atticus followed two other vehicles into the garage, each with drivers that probably had the same idea as him. The sound of motors and car horns could be heard echoing through the parking garage, as well as the voices of shoppers entering or exiting the mall.

"Hmm, the acoustic in here are excellent!", Atticus thought as he tried to follow an older couple to a space.

"I saw Jaden kissing Lexi Rhodes, underneath the mistletoe last night!", Atticus started to sing really loud as he passed three empty spaces.

Some time and about 20 more free spaces later , "Oh what a laugh it would have been, if Crowler had only seen, Jaden kissing Lexi Rhodes last niiiiiiiight!", he concluded his song parody. "Wow, I've got to remember that one for Christmas Eve! Lex will _love_ it."

Atticus decided to test his luck and head toward the main entrance again.

"Maybe some of the early birds will be giving up spots near the exit!", Atticus said optimistically. 

While he was waiting for an elderly couple to turn in front of his, Atticus noticed that a helicopter was touching down on the other end of the lot.

"Wow, talk about your "ride to the mall.", Atticus said with a chuckle. "At least they don't have to wait for a parking spot."

The elderly couple finally turned into the row, allowing Atticus to continue on toward the main entrance.

"What's that?", Atticus asked as he peered toward something in the distance. "Could it be? No way! It has to be reserved parking!", he logically questioned himself.

In the distance was an open space near the front of the row. The entrance to the mall was within less than a minute of walking distance!

_Hmm_, Atticus thought to himself. _No cars in any direction._ , he thought as he peered left and right.

The engine of Atticus' car began to rev all of a sudden.

_It may be a bit risky, but I'll do it!_, he affirmed in his head. "For ALEXIS!", he shouted as his car sped along the lot, zooming straight for the open spot.

"Come on, come on!", Atticus said under his breath as he got closer and closer to his prize. "Still no challengers! Almost there!"

The look of a predator lunging after its prey was now etched across Atticus' face. 

"COME TO PAPA!", Atticus roared as he closed in. 

Suddenly, Atticus' path was blocked by an over sized man in dark suit, darting toward the entrance. There appeared to be large yellow and red bundles on either of his shoulders

"AW NUTS!", Atticus shouted as he attempted break, swerve, and virtually do anything not to hit someone.

The man, obviously Kimo, saw the red convertible spinning sideways and coming straight at him.

_I can't let guests of Mr. Pegasus be harmed_, he thought as Syrus screamed "Look Out!", in his right ear.

In a flash, Kimo shifted most of his body toward the oncoming car and pulled the two boys over his shoulders and in front of him. In essence, he was attempting to create a human shield.

"HAAAAAAA!", he roared as the car collided with his body.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!", both Atticus and Syrus could be heard screaming at the top of their lungs.

When the dust had settled Atticus lifted his head up and started looking around frantically for the man he had hit. A huge dent was now in the driver side door and moaning could be heard off to the left of him. The large man could be seen curled up on the ground, twitching.

" Hey, hold on!", Atticus said as he jumped out of the car and ran toward the man. 

He knelt down next to Kimo and started to roll him over with his right hand and dial 911 with his left. 

"You'll be alright. I'll get you...help...", Atticus started to say before he cut off suddenly, a lump now forming in his throat.

Underneath the over sized man were the bodies of two very familiar faces.

"Aw no! No...no...no...NO!", Atticus began screaming in a panic. "Jaden, Syrus, answer me!", he yelled as he dropped his phone.

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**Domino Mall: Emergency Medical Ward, Basement Level (2:20 PM)**

"After that, someone called Mall Security and the medical team arrived. They said that Maximillion Pegasus had set up an emergency medical ward for today's tournament. So, you guys were rushed down here.", Atticus said with closed eyes. "Jaden..", he said as he turned to the young duelist, "I can't tell you and Syrus how sorry I am. If that guy hadn't shielded you...", Atticus began before a hand reached out onto his shoulder.

Jaden just looked down at him and said, "Its alright bro. It was an accident and we both turned out alright. Can't say the same for Kimo though...", Jaden said as he turned to the bandaged man.

"It shouldn't be a problem. Mr. Pegasus has a good insurance plan for all of his employees.", a new voice said, which made everyone turn toward the door.

"Chumley!", all of the Academy students said simultaneously .

The Koala-like young man stood in the doorway.

"Glad to see you guys are alright.", Chumley said as a smile crossed his tear-streaked face. "When I heard what happened, I rushed down here!"

Syrus looked at his old roommate in surprise before saying, "Wait a minute. What do you mean rushed? We've been here for nearly two and a half hours!"

This tidbit of information caused an expression of panic and sadness to streak across Jaden's face.

"We've been here how long? Aw man, we missed the tournament registration!", Jaden wailed before collapsing back onto his pillow.

"That's where I just came from! The whole mall is packed! It took the news of your accident an hour to reach me and the team upstairs!", Chumley explained to the group. "Then it took me another hour to get down here."

"What about a cell phone or palm pilot?", Hassleberry wondered out loud.

"Its no good.", Alexis interjected. "All wireless communication has been blocked off for the tournament. Something about hackers invading the tournament computers or something."

Chumley shook his head and added, "If its possible for a place like Kaiba-Land could be hacked, so can the Industrial Illusions systems. This policy has been in place since the Kaiba Corp. Grand Prix was first hacked years ago. Mr. Pegasus doesn't want any of his tournaments to be interfered with. There's also the possibility of people cheating during the tournament as well."

"So how did you know what happened to us Alexis?", Jaden said as he turned to her.

Alexis looked down and trembled slightly at the memory. 

"I had just one my first match when an announcement came over the mall's P.A. system. They said that my brother needed me in the medical ward. I thought something had happened to him in the parking lot. I never expected...", she cut off before she leaned against Jaden again and softly cried.

Atticus walked behind her and patted her on the back.

"She didn't know what to expect when she got down here. When she saw both of you in the stretchers, she broke down.", Atticus said with a solemn voice. "It was even worse when she saw that you were still unconscious Jaden.

Jaden looked down at Alexis and felt the warmth in his chest grow stronger again. He then smiled and put his hand on her shoulder, which caused her to gaze move toward him.

"Don't worry Lex. We're fine now!", Jaden replied in a strong, encouraging tone.

"Your sure?", she asked while she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Trust me.", he said.

For a moment, an image of young boy on snowy evening flashed in Alexis' mind before it disappeared.

Jaden then started to pull himself out of bed, which made Syrus and Hassleberry run over and help him out.

"You sure you want to be moving Sarge?", Hassleberry said with concern.

"Yeah Jay. You were out for a while.", Syrus said with a look of worry in his eyes.

"I'm fine guys!", Jaden replied as he waved them off before he turned to Chumley. "So, has the Yule Duel Tournament finals happened yet?", he asked.

"Uh, not yet. The finals shouldn't be starting until three o'cock.", Chumley said while he held his chin for a moment. "Why?"

Jaden had a big grin on his face and chuckled to himself.

"Uh Jaden, I know you've been through life threatening experience, but what's so funny?", Chumley asked.

"Well there is someone that I want to see win in the finals.", Jaden said in a knowing tone.

"Huh?", Syrus said in surprise. "Who are you talking about?"

A light bulb in Mr. Hayama's head went off before he and Jaden both replied, "Asuka!"

"OH!", both Syrus and Hassleberry replied simultaneously, before Syrus questioned further, "Wait a minute Jaden. How do you know Asuka's in the finals?"

Jaden continued to hold back his growing excitement, while Mr. Hayama stood before the others and answered for him, "Because Asuka's skill in dueling is on par with a Pro League Duelist. I trained her myself of course."

"But, she didn't have her deck with her when we were prepping for the tournament.", Syrus said with growing confusion in his voice. "I thought she said it was more like a hobby for her anyway."

A pride-filled smile etched across Mr. Hayama's face. "She is also a smart duelist as well. Off the field she is very humble, but on the field is where she bears her claws."

"Wait, wait, wait!", Syrus exclaimed as he tried to organize his thoughts. "So Asuka is an extremely skilled duelist and she's in the tournament. Ok, I get that. But how come she isn't here to be with her friend, who was in the accident?", he finished in an accusing manner.

"I can also answer this one Sho-kun.", Mr. Hayama piped in again. "Its because I haven't been able to get a hold of her.", he said as he held up his cell phone. "The P.A. system is also jammed with reports about the accident back on the highway, so I couldn't get to her if I tried."

"And how do you know she's at the finals?", Syrus further probed for his answer.

"Believe us when we say it Sy.", Jaden said with a big grin. "She's there alright!"

"You said Asuka, right?", Chumley chimed in. "As in Asuka Hayama?"

"Yes he did!", Hassleberry yelled with joy. "The most beautiful creature on the planet!", he proclaimed with hearts in his eyes.

Alexis cocked an eye brow at Hassleberry for a moment and said, "So who is this mystery woman? She must be something to get the Sarge here all romantic and for Jaden to be this excited."

"Well, she is my daughter.", Mr. Hayama answered.

"She's our friend!", Jaden and Syrus answered simultaneously.

"She's the ammunition for my heart!", Hassleberry said with a dreamy voice.

"And she's _is_ one of the finalists!", Chumley announced to the group, which made everyone else turn to Jaden and Mr. Hayama, who were standing next to one another. 

"We told you so!", Jaden said as he leaned his elbow on the shorter man's shoulder.

"So what are we waiting for troops! Lets go cheer her on!", Hassleberry roared.

"What about the Doctor?", Syrus asked. "Shouldn't we be discharged or something first?", he questioned while being pushed toward the door by Hassleberry.

"Details, details.", Hassleberry replied. "If the Doc thought it was a good idea to leave us here, then I count that as a clean bill of health private."

"But what about Mr. Kimo?" Syrus asked as he pointed back to the bandaged figure, before he was pushed through the door.

"I'll stay with him Sy.", Chumley called out. "I am one of the tournament managers, so he is my responsibility. _Good luck_...", he finished as he waved after the group off.

"What do we need luck for?", Jaden wonder aloud as the group made there way into the basement elevator.

"Well Jaden...", Alexis began as she twitched.

"have you ever been in a mall...", Atticus continued with a nervous smile.

"..during the holidays?", Mr. Hayama finished with a shudder.

Jaden just looked at his three friends for a moment before a _ding_ was heard. His glance then turned to the slowly opening doors before him.

As Jaden and Hassleberry looked on in horror, as Syrus could only muster enough courage within him to say one thing, "Aw man..."

_To be Continued... _

(A/N: Did I mention that I do not own any of the characters of HOUSE M.D? Well I don't. FOX, Bryan Singer, and David Shore do!)


	7. Make it to the Top! Vs Domino Mall Prt1

1_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._

**Turn 7: Make it to the Top! Vs. Domino Mall!** ** Part 1**

Traditions are considered to be a central theme of the holiday season. For some, this can mean coming together with family and friends to celebrate their heritage. For others, traditions are associated with celebrating miracles that happened long ago. No matter what the circumstances, it can't be argued that traditions are important to both individuals and societies on a grander scale.

However, not all traditions are enjoyable or intentionally created, but just happen over time. Unfortunately for Jaden and the others, the tradition of the _holiday rush_ is one of these cases...

"There's so many...," Jaden stuttered in amazement.

"We know...," Alexis whispered.

"It doesn't seem to end," Jaden continued.

"No kidding," Syrus stammered, still in shock from what lay before him.

"...and I thought that the parking lot looked like a war zone," Hassleberry groaned.

"Its so horrifying, but I can't look away!" Jaden cried louder.

"Like a car wreck, isn't it?" Mr. Hayama bluntly questioned the young man.

"Its...its...INSANE!" Jaden screamed at the top of his lungs, only to be drowned out by the madness that laid before him.

The gang had taken the service elevator to Center Court, the heart of Domino Mall, a nickname which was clearly an understatement. The court itself had a large, to square like atmosphere to it. A central garden, adorned with multiple fountains and marble walkways was present within the center of the court. Due to the holiday season, the usual shrubs and palm trees had been replaced with poinsettias, evergreen trees, and a decorative snow scape. The centerpiece to the scenery was of course the large Christmas tree placed within the center of the garden.

The tree itself was large enough to rival the one in Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. It was decorated from top to bottom with ribbon and various decorations, all colored red and gold. The tens of thousands of lights that adorned it made the tree glow with a heavenly aura.

Unfortunately, this scene was unnoticed by the hoards of shoppers that were barreling past one another to finish off their holiday shopping.

"Ugh!", Mr Hayama grunted as he was shoved aside by a raven haired teen, pulling her strawberry blonde haired companion behind her.

"C'mon Ichigo! I want to get to the next sale," squealed the girl with excitement.

"Rukia, I think you're taking this holiday shopping thing a bit seriously! I know its your first time really shopping and all, but...ahh!", the blonde haired teen shouted as he was dragged back into the crowd.

"Ayah! These young one pushing and shoving and yelling! You think they'd seen a ghost!," Mr. Hayama complained as he tried not to be trampled by any other shoppers.

"So where is the tournament being held?!," Jaden asked, while dodging out of the way from a woman speeding by in an electric wheel chair.

"Up there", Alexis shouted as she pointed straight up.

Jaden's gaze rose toward the ceiling..

The center court truly was the heart of the mall, due to the fact that it opened up to the mall's upper levels. From the ground floor a person could see other shoppers walking, or_ herding _in this case, to the other stores on the higher floors. Some of the walk ways above them even extended outward in semicircular patters and overhung the lower levels.

The ceiling meanwhile, which held a large overhanging television screen, displayed the Industrial Illusions logo on it.

"So where's the arena itself?" Jaden wondered as he crossed his arms.

"The concert level is actually separate from the shopping center portion of the mall. That screen usually displays schedules for the concerts, advertisements, and other things," Alexis explained further. "Seriously Jaden, do you ever come here?"

Jaden reached nervously behind his head before admitting, "Well, to be honest, I always just hung around my hometown. I only came downtown once in a while for a duel tournament or a movie."

"It is quite impressive what they have done here," Mr Hayama broke into the conversation all of sudden. "To take a limited amount of space and make the most of it. The designers were ingenious to push the architectural detail to such a limit. What's more, this mall even caters to small shop owners like myself. I have often thought about setting up a collectible cart here and...what? Ayah!" Mr Hayama shrieked.

The gang looked to their right to see Mr. Hayama being carried off by a random blonde haired woman.

"Hooray, someone dropped their animatronic elf statue! This is just what I need to win the home-decorating contest this year," cheered the woman as he continued to clutch Mr Hayama with a vice-like grip.

"Ugh...," Mr. Hayama grunted as he struggled just to breathe. "I never thought...what people said...about blondes...was true...," he continued the murmur to himself as he was carried off.

"...and I'm not an ELF STATUE!" he screamed at the woman.

"Its so life-like too!" the oblivious woman chuckled to herself.

"Mr Hayama!" Jaden yelled as he and the others attempted to push their way through the crowd. "Hold on lady, that's my _elf statue!_" Jaden screamed in vain.

Jaden watched as the woman vanished among the crowd, with Mr. Hayama's screams of protest were drowned out.

_What am I going to tell Asuka?!_ Jaden thought in a panic.

"Jaden, in here!" Sy yelled as a bunch of arms pulled him into a random door.

Jaden heard the door slam behind him as his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit space they were in. From what he could see, the gang had ducked into an abandoned store front, or one that at least needed to be renovated. The shelves and various fixtures around the store appeared to be either toppled over or just broken. Brown storage boxes and receipts littered the carpeted floor before them and few sparks could be seen from where the cash register had been on the counter.

"Where are we?" Jaden wondered as he continued to glance around.

"Someplace that isn't overridden with shoppers, if you can believe it," Alexis' voice rang out from the shadowed room.

" Believe it or not, were standing in what remains of the _Domino Greeting Card Company_," Atticus said as he caught his breath.

"What, are you serious?" Jaden asked in surprise. "This place was always kept up really well. My Mom comes here all the time!"

"Well yeah, that was before the owner decided to do a "Holiday Madness" promotion last week. There were so many good deals apparently, that the whole place was pretty much ransacked," Atticus explained further.

"How do you know about that?" Syrus wondered out loud.

"Well...," Atticus said while tugging at his collar.

"He was here then," Alexis sighed.

"Huh?!" the other two boy exclaimed simultaneously.

"But, weren't you sick last week?" Syrus recalled as he pointed to the elder duelist.

"Yeah, about that...," Atticus said as he began to blush. "I kind of decided to skip out on classes to come home for the holidays. I never thought they'd let us leave to go home. I mean, does anyone even remember a celebrating the holidays last...," Atticus said before being cut off.

"Anyway, he was shopping here for his_ fans_ and came home with small travel trailer filled with cards and ornaments," Alexis said with a sigh.

"Hey, I had to buy three cards to get the cute little reindeer plush for each of them. Multiply that by a hundred or so girls and that's a lot of cards for a lot of reindeer" Atticus attempted to defend himself. "Besides, Mom appreciated the points she got for them!"

"Um, guys we have a situation going on here," Jaden reminded the Rhodes siblings.

" That's correct Sarge," Hasslberry exclaimed from the back of the store. "Operation: _Dashing Through the Mall _is a go!" he announced as he approached the gang, now dressed in a Santa outfit (complete with beard). "The whole reason we ducked in here was to set up our strategy!"

"Hassleberry, what the heck are you dressed in?!" Jaden asked with a dumbfounded look.

"That's _Santa_ to you Sarge and the plan is as follows. Our group will split into two separate units, _Santa Squad_ and _Chimney Corp._. The prime directive of the _Santa Squad_ is to track down the crazed consumer and get Mr. Hayama back. Meanwhile, the _Chimney Corp._ will makes its way up to the top level and secure a spot for us to watch Asuka's duel. The code name for that spot will be the _Living Room_," Hassleberry explained in a serious tone.

"You came up this in a few minutes?" Syrus said in disbelief.

"What makes you think that she'll still be around?" Alexis asked the _Mission Leader_.

"The mall closes at 9 pm and this is one of the last shopping days before Christmas, one of the big three holidays of the season. With last minute sales springing up faster then gophers on a prairie, she won't be getting far," Hassleberry declared with a confident smile.

"So who's going with who?" Alexis asked.

"I've created the teams based on skills, physicality, and physical advantage. I myself will lead the Santa Squad. With me posing as a mall Santa that is on duty, I'll be able to move through the crowd with minimal injury. My team member will be Syrus," Hassleberry explained as he held up a green elf costume with red trim.

Syrus' eyes bugged out at the sight of the elf costume.

"Why do I have to wear that thing?!" he yelled as he pointed to the miniature costume.

"Three Reasons: One, Santa needs a helper. Two, Your small enough to move through the crowd, should I get hung up. Three, you're the only one that can fit in the costume," Hassleberry finished with s sheepish grin.

"So Alexis, Atticus, and I are the chimney squad then?" Jaden asked

"Yep Sarge. Alexis came from the dueling area, so she should know how to get back there. You're good at thinking on your feet when in a tight spot, so you can help get the group out of trouble. Finally, Atticus...well...," Hassleberry trailed off.

"Permission to speak Sarge?" Atticus responded suddenly.

"Granted," Hassleberry responded with surprise.

"It is best that the pursuit team have an idea of the terrain in which they are moving through, correct?" Atticus asked.

"Correct," Hassleberry said, while mentally kicking himself for forgetting that detail.

"Then allow me to enlist in the Santa Squad. I've been to this mall more times then I can count. I also know how to get to the dueling field upstairs I think it'd be in the interest of the mission if I be a part of your group," Atticus declared with a confident grin. _That and I can give Lexi and Jaden more time to themselves, _he thought.

"Well, I can't find another _uniform_ for you, so you'll have to deal with the crowd on your own," Hassleberry said.

"Don't worry," Atticus said with a wave of his hand. "I have my own methods of crowd."

Jaden turned to Alexis and smiled. "Looks like its just you and me Lex."

Alexis blushed slightly before answering back, "Right, lets do our best Jaden."

"Aww man," Syrus said as he walked toward the gang dressed in the elf outfit. "These white and green tights are really chafing and the bell on my hat keeps hitting me in the forehead.

The rest of the gang tried to stifle their chuckles as they looked at Syrus with amusement. He wore green and white striped tights, a green, felt top with red trim, and a large green hat that came to a point where a single bell dangled from it.

"How old is this thing? It looks like something from the fifties!" Sy complained.

"Stow it private," Hassleberry commanded. "We've already wasted enough time as it is. Alright everyone, on the count of three, we barrel out of that door and split up. We'll keep communication via cell phones when signals permit. Alright guys, here we go," he said as he grasped the door handle.

"One, Two, THREE!" the group said in unison before bursting out of the door way.

Jaden only had a second to glance behind him as he saw the Santa Squad mesh in with the myriad of holiday shoppers. It had taken him a minute to realize that he was holding on tightly to Alexis' hand.

Alexis, who's face was a deep crimson, continued to pull Jaden toward center court.

"Alright, Jaden. If we can make it to one of the two elevators in center court, we should have an easier time making it up to the Yule Duel tourney level. We'll have to pretty much squeeze ourselves in with a bunch of shoppers, but we should be fine," she finished explaining.

Jaden was only partially hearing what Alexis was saying. His attention kept drifting back to the dream he had before.

_Why do I feel so warm again?_ he thought to himself_. This feeling...its kind of like when I'm enjoying a duel, but different somehow._

"Oh NO!"Alexis groaned ahead of him.

Jaden looked up and so a "out of commission" sign strung in front of the elevator.

"This is just great. They weren't broken an hour ago," Alexis complained.

"You're right little lady," a voice said behind the duo.

Jaden and Alexis turned to see lanky looking man in a maintenance uniform standing behind them. He appeared to be in about his 50's, with dark gray hair and a very bushy mustache. He held a tool box in one hand and a walkie talkie in the other, which he waved as a sign of hello.

"The name's Hank, and I need to get to this elevator folks," the maintenance worker said as he scooted past the two. "Both elevators are out at the moment, due to a tinsel mishap."

"Tinsel mishap?" Jaden said in disbelief.

"Yep, the big bosses always want to put tinsel up in the elevator shafts every year. They say it makes the mall look prettier for the season, but they always end up just messing with the gears and whatnot. Frankly, I'm surprised that the inspectors haven't been on there butts about doing it each year. Although, you think the bosses would use there heads once in a while," Hank finished explaining as he manually opened the doors.

"How long until they're both fixed?" Alexis asked.

"Well, tinsel's a tricky culprit. Could be a few hours before we clean it all out. I'm a garland man myself to be honest.", Hank finished with a small smile.

"We don't have that kind of time," Jaden said as he slumped slightly.

"Well, since we got no escalators in this building, the only other option is the stairwell. Although, I don't think you'd want to try that either," Hank said grimly.

"Why?" Alexis asked.

"See for yourself," Hank said as he pointed to one of the malls corner stairwells.

Jaden and Alexis followed Hank's motion.

The stairwells in Domino Mall were situated within the four corners of the building, which expanded away from the main structure to give the look of towers or pillars from the outside. Normally these stairwells could hold a large flow of people, to compensate for the lack of escalators and the limited number of elevators. However, one wouldn't know this if they saw what Jaden and Alexis had seen.

People could be seen shoving and budging in and out of the one stairwell, putting themselves in awkward positions in order to bring their packages along with them. Multiple arms, bags and even some legs could be seen jutting of the crowd stairwell.

Hank sighed at the sight. "Apparently everyone thinks they're contortionists or people are just that desperate to finish they're shopping. I hear that its just as bad in the other four stairwells."

"Talk about stocking stuffers...," Jaden said under his breath. "So what do we do now? We have to get up to the top somehow," he said, turning to Alexis.

Alexis though was staring up at the tree in center court, as if she were studying it for some reason.

Jaden tapped Alexis on the shoulder lightly to get her attention. "Hey Lex, you with me here?"

"There's no tree topper," Alexis murmured.

_Huh? _Jaden thought as he looked toward the tree and saw that the top of the tree did not bare any type of topper. "So what?" Jaden asked. "Maybe they're just waiting for Christmas Eve?"

Hank's voice rang out from the elevator shaft, "Actually, there was a topper on it. It was a bright gold and red star that the owners acquired from a foreign dealer. We had to take it down for repairs when someone spotted a crack in it. Its actually sitting in a crate in center court, just waiting to be set up. Too bad all of us on the crew are busy with just repair. We need at least one twp people to place the star on top."

Alexis looked over to Jaden with a mischievous grin, while Jaden just responded with a blank expression.

Alexis sighed, "Just follow my lead," she said as she walked into the elevator. "Hey Hank?"

"Yes little lady?" Hank's voice echoed out of the maintenance hatch.

"You guys on the maintenance crew are pretty busy at this time of year, right?" Alexis asked in a _innocent_ tone.

"I s'pose. They make as work like dogs usually.," Hank whispered under his breath as he continued to fiddle a piece of knotted tinsel.

"I'm sure that they've been on your backs about getting that star up again too, huh?" Alexis continued as she put her hands behind her back..

Jaden still was lost as to what Lex was trying to pull off. He was just scratching the back of his head in confusion at this point.

Hank popped his head out of the hatch and looked at Alexis with a curious eye. "Yeah, I s'pose they have. What are you gettin' at their little lady?"

"Well, I was wondering if we could help each other out." Alexis slyly smiled.

A light bulb seemed to light up in Hank's mind, finally understanding what Lex was getting at. "If I'm thinking what your thinking, you better hope I don't lose my job over it."

Jaden just stood watching to two in front of him both grin at each other. "Umm, care to clue me in guys?"

A few minutes had passed before Jaden and Alexis were standing in Center Square again, which had been blocked off to allow for a lift to be moved in by the tree. Both Jaden and Alexis were now clad in dark grey maintenance uniforms, complete with matching caps.

"Ok, so explain this to me again," Jaden said as he attempted to adjust the cap over his large mound of hair.

Alexis giggled a bit at Jaden and his hat before explaining, "We're going to help Hank out and place the star on top of the tree for him. In exchange, he's having one of his co-workers move the lift toward one of the top floors. We can then jump off and cut the time it takes to get to Yule Duel. You follow?"

"Alright, but...," Jaden's voice trailed off as he looked up at the tree. "It's a long way up isn't it?

Sweat started to trickle down Jaden's brow.

"Your not afraid of heights are you?" Alexis asked her friend. "You've dueled in more dangerous places than this."

"Yeah, but I was dueling at the time. I was too focused to realized what was going on around me," Jaden admitted as he finally managed to pull the cap down over his head.

"Try to think of it like your about to duel then and your opponent is waiting at the top," Lex said as she got into the lift's basket. "Now come one, we don't have a lot of time."

Jaden jumped into the lift basket and was handed the star to be placed upon the tree. It was a little taller than Jaden and took up a large portion of the basket. Luckily they were in a large basket. The lift whirred to life and began to move up along the tree at a slow pace. All that Alexis and Jaden could do now was stand and wait.

Jaden glanced around the mall to see the multitude of shoppers darting from store to store, with bags and packages being carried in their hands. He glanced over to Alexis, who was waving her head back and forth a little to "Oh Tannenbaum" to kill the time.

_Geez, whoever does the music in this place must have a camera on us or something,_ Jaden thought as he continued to glance around.

The basket had made it halfway up the tree and the large overhead lights from the ceiling were now reflecting off of the star, casting a heavenly glow on the two young duelists. Jaden couldn't help but notice the glow it gave to Alexis, despite the outfit she was wearing.

Jaden cleared his throat, "So Lex, are you and your family doing anything for the holidays?" He hoped to get some type of conversation going.

Alexis looked over at Jaden and smiled, "Nothing much really. My parents usually try to help out at some of the local shelters during the holidays. Then we'd visit relatives on Christmas day and have dinner. Too bad we can't do that this year, with me being home and all."

"Huh? Why not?" Jaden asked.

"Well, lets just say that their boss is a bit of a _Scrooge_ and has them working on a merger through Christmas. They'll be off the hook come the 27th, but until then it looks like its just me and Atticus," she explained with a solemn smile.

Jaden couldn't help but be angry and sad for Alexis at the same time. "How can a guy do that to a family on the holidays?! That's just not right!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, its alright Jaden. Its not like it happens every year or anything...," Alexis began before being cut off.

"Still, its not every chance that we get to come home for the holidays from the Academy either," Jaden reminded her. "You deserve to have a warm holiday as much as the rest of us."

The basket finally stopped at the top of the tree and a call came over the walky talky. **"Alright you two, you two know what to do,"** the maintenance worker on the ground said.

Alexis and Jaden gripped the base of the oversized star and began to hoist it up over the top branched of the tree.

"You know, this is surprisingly light," Alexis said, taking the chance to change the subject.

Jaden still had a small frown on his face, but attempted to make it seem like he was just focusing on the work at hand. It only took a minute before the star had been replaced on the tree and shimmered due the lights that surrounded its base.

The glow of the star made Jaden's thoughts return to the image of a tree in the park years ago, and the little girl that was there with him.

Jaden twisted quickly toward Alexis, "Hey Lex, I really have to ask you something, before I forget."

Alexis cocked an eyebrow, wondering why Jaden was so excited all of a sudden.

"Do you ever remember going to a place called...," Jaden began before he was cut off by the walky talky again.

"**Great job you two! I'm moving the basket over to the floor now. Hold on,"**the maintenance worker said before the basket started to move again.

The first jerk of the basket caused Alexis to fall into Jaden's arms for a moment.

"Oof," Jaden said as he caught her.

Alexis and Jaden both blushed a deep crimson for a moment.

Alexis broke away from the embrace before nervously saying, "Heh, sorry Jaden. I lost my balance for a minute.

"Yeah, no problem," Jaden replied, still red in the face.

The lift basket pulled over to one of the top floors of the mall, allowing the two to dismount. The two duelists stood there for a moment, with an awkward silence between the two of them prevailing for a minute,

"**Alright guys...**," the worker's voice squawked. "**Just leave the uniforms in one of the restrooms upstairs and we'll take it from there.** **Thanks again!"**

Jaden was the first to speak up. "We'd better get going," he said as he made his way to the nearest men's room.

"Right," Alexis said, following in suit. "By the way, what were you going to ask me?"

Jaden just shrugged the questions off saying, "Nothing important..."

Moments later the two emerged from their respective bathrooms, clothed in their own attire again.

"Man, no wonder my Dad avoids public restrooms," Jaden said as he walked out with a green colored face.

"Try having a bunch of mom's changing their babies' diapers in yours," Alexis said as she clutched her stomach due to minor nausea.

"So where do we go from here?"Jaden asked.

"We're actually on the floor just below the duel field. The audience entrance should be straight ahead," Alexis said as she began to push past a bunch of shoppers again.

Jaden followed her through the thick crowd of shoppers until they reached end of the floor. What seemed to be a large store front was now converted into a large box office/entrance, with a marquee reading "Yule Duel" over it. A single ticket-taker and guard were present at the entrance.

Jaden walked up to the ticket taker. "Um, two for the Yule Duel, please?" Jaden said with big grin.

"Sorry sir, we're sold out, but your friend Ms. Rhodes may watch the duel from the competitor's box," the woman said, recognizing the female duelist instantly.

"Oh come on! Do you know how much trouble I've gone through to get here? I was carried by one of your guards, nearly hit by a car, my friends are Santa and an elf, we had to pose as maintenance workers, and I've been struggling to figure out this dream I had all day! Can't you guys show a little holiday spirit and let me pass? Just this once?" Jaden asked in uncharacteristic desperation and frustration.

"No, they don't pay us to have holiday spirit. So, why don't we take a walk and talk about your problems young man," the guard said as he grabbed Jaden's shoulders.

"Wait," Lex began to protest before a rumbling was heard coming from the Yule Duel Stadium.

"Run!", "Get out of the way!", "He's out of his mind!" a bunch of voices yelled as a bunch of spectators began to stampede out of the dueling arena.

Jaden broke from the guard's grip and shielded Alexis against an adjacent wall as droves of spectators began to flow out of the stadium.

"What the heck is going on?!" the guard bellowed as his communicator crackled to life.

"**Smith, we have a situation in here!**" a voice yelled.

"Jones, what is going on in there?! I have people running for there lives out here!" Agent Smith responded.

" **Some freak busted into the stadium and is screaming to be seen by Mr. Pegasus. I guess hen didn't get the memo that he wouldn't be here**," the other agent responded. "**Seems to be a blonde haired woman, with a shrill voice, and shreds of blue clothing. Says that she has a PHD in dueling.**"

"Are you kidding me? Do they even have a degree program for something like that?" Agent Smith said as he armed himself. "The holidays always bring the weirdos out it seems," he muttered before he charged into the arena.

The crowd continued to pour out of the Yule Duel arena, while Jaden and Alexis clutched to the wall for dear life. The song _Its Beginning to look A lot Like Christmas_ could faintly be heard over the loud speaker all the while.

_To Be Continued..._

A/N: I think everyone can guess who the tournament crasher is, right? I was a little light on the humor this time around, but I'm hoping to make up for that in part 2. Until then... _Gotcha!_


	8. Make it to the Top! Vs Domino Mall Prt 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh or Yu-gi-oh GX. They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._

**Turn 8: Make it to the Top! Vs. Domino Mall!** **Part 2**

(A/N: Just a heads up everyone. This chapter starts off **right when** the gang splits up. Don't worry, it'll all sync up in the end...somehow...ummmm, enjoy!)

Syrus tried to take one final glance back at the newly dubbed Chimney Corp., but Jaden and Alexis were already long gone. Either they were making good time, or the crowd had swallowed them up just like they had the Santa Squad.

"Oof! Ah! Watch the hat!" Syrus yelled as he tried to meander through his crowd. Shoppers and bags were surrounding him from all sides.

Only a minute had passed, but the members of the Santa Squad were already separated by droves of people. Atticus and Hassleberry had barreled through the crowd, forgetting that Syrus was a weakling in elf's clothing.

"Aww man," Syrus murmured to himself as he tried his best not to be run over by a woman speeding by in a wheelchair. "How the heck am I ever going to catch up to them now?"

"Hey you, what are you doing?" a gruff voice said behind Syrus.

Syrus twirled around and shook like a leaf at the sight of a large, balding security guard. His arms were crossed and a look of fatigue and annoyance was clearly on his face.

"How many times do I have to tell you _elves_? You only get 3 coffee breaks, 45 minutes a piece!" the guard barked at a now quivering Syrus.

"But...but...," Syrus tried in vain to correct the man, but to no avail.

"Now...", the guard began in sing-song voice, "get your little elf toes over to _Stacys Department Store _and do your job! They're undermanned, he finished with a shout.

"Y..y...yes sir!" Syrus yelped with a salute. "By the way, where is that again?"

The guard groaned as he grabbed Syrus by the collar and dragged him off.

"SANTA SQUAD! Elf down! Elf dowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn!" Syrus called out in vain.

_Meanwhile, on the other side of the mall..._

"Did you hear something?" Hassleberry asked as he scanned the crowd for his missing comrade.



"Nope," Atticus replied with his hands in his pockets. "By the way, don't you think you should come down now? Nothing screams crazy like Santa _surveying the land_ from a palm tree."

Hassleberry had somehow managed to climb one of the mall's decorative palm trees, without mall security even noticing. He slid back down and sat in the bench at the base of the tree.

Hasslberry sighed, "Not even 5 minutes into the operation and I've already lost the Private. What kind of field commander am I?!" he groaned with his face in his hands.

Atticus just patted his oddly dressed friend on the back. "Don't worry _Commander_. Sy can be tough when he has to. I'm sure he'd like us to put the success of the mission before him," he attempted to reassure Hassleberry.

Hassleberry felt a little sense of relief from Atticus words and stood up again with renewed determination.

"You're right Atticus. Just because the private is MIA, it doesn't mean he's down for the count. Alright, then its time for us to triage!" Hassleberry stated with a nod.

"Triage?" Atticus asked as he cocked his head. "That would mean?"

"Simple. We've got to prioritize what's next in our plan of action," Hassleberry said as he grabbed his chin in thought. "The private won't really be able to go anywhere without the rest of us, so he'll be in the mall until it closes.

"Ok...," Atticus replied. "Continue..."

"So the plan is the same as before: We track down the blonde haired fiend who shoplifted Mr. Hayama and then retrieve Sy," Hassleberry finished with a confident grin.

"Ok. So if we're going to pull this off and get to the Yule Duel before the life points hit 0, where do we start?" Atticus wondered.

"I got two words for you soldier, "gift wrap"!" Hassleberry grinned. "See, I got a good look at that gal when she high tailed it with Mr. Hayama. She had a lot of other boxes and things with her. I figure that she going to need to get those presents wrapped and squared away before leaving the mall."

Atticus crossed his arms and said, "Couldn't she just wrap her own gifts like anyone else?"

"Listen soldier, the gal couldn't tell that the _ornament_ she picked up was a living, breathing guy. I figure that a lady that oblivious would sooner wrap herself up then her own presents," Hassleberry retorted. "So where is the nearest gift wrap department you can think of?"

Atticus thought for a moment, with his eyes darting back and forth around the store. All the time, it seemed as if he analyzing a store directory that had been stored in his head.

"Well, to be honest, at this point there is only one store that I know of that would still be offering a gift wrap service. That would be Stacys department store on North side of the mall. Other places are pretty much cleaned out this late in the game," Atticus explained. "The problem with that is the fact that they're in the service department on the third level. The elevators and stairways are probably jammed, but I think I know a way we could get up there."

"Well then, let's resume the operation soldier and..." Hassleberry began before feeling a tug on his pants.

A small boy with spiky red hair and a jacket that had a cartoon t-rex on it looked innocently up at Hassleberry.

"_Excoose_ me Santa", the little boy said in a cute tone. "Could I tell you the dinosaurs I want for _Cwistmas?_"

Hassleberry's eyes began to tear up as he looked at the little four year old before he replied, "Ho Ho Ho, of course you can! Just sit right here on Santa's lap and tell him what you want." Hassleberry said as he sat down and hoisted the boy up.

Atticus just stood there with a flabbergasted look on his face. _He's gone Holiday AWOL!_, Atticus groaned. _What about the mission?_

_Meanwhile, in the Mall's War Zone of a parking lot_...

Chazz Princeton could be seen walking out of the mall, flanked by ten servants holding multiple packages. His spirit partners, the Ojama Trio, followed closely behind him, unseen by any else.

"Ugh," Chazz groaned as he peered at the stack of papers in his hands. "I can't believe I'm finally done with all that shopping. Its bad enough that I practically have to plan this stupid party for Princeton Corp., but when did _The Chazz_ stoop to being some sort of delivery person?"

"When you lost at rock-paper-scissors with your brothers?" Ojama Yellow asked innocently.

"Yeah boss, I told you to throw rock, not shake your fist!" Ojama Green complained as he floated around Chazz.

"He did throw rock numbskull!" Ojama Black yelled at his brother as he conked him on the head. "Slade threw paper and won!"

"Wait, doesn't rock win against paper?" Ojama Yellow asked with a look of confusion.

"No, paper beats rock!" Ojama Black yelled.

"How can paper beat rock?" Ojama Green said as it tapped its forehead with a finger. "Wouldn't a rock tear through paper?"

Naturally, throughout this whole conversation, the nerve in Chazz's forehead began to bulge larger and large. Until...

"LOOK, WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT BEATS WHAT? I LOST AND I'M STUCK DOING THIS STINKING JOB, FOR MY STINKING BROTHERS, ON THIS STINKING HOLI...", Chazz began before his rant was cut off by a rumbling and a cloud in the distance.

A high pitched shrieking sound could also be heard, and it was getting louder by the second.

"What the heck?" Chazz blurted out as the cloud drew closer and the shriek became louder.

At this point Chazz could almost make out words coming from the shrieking. The words almost sounded like, "I'm not crazy. Must see Pegasus..."

A blonde, disheveled figure was now making a b-line straight for Chazz, as he and his servants looked on with curiosity. The figure wore what appeared to be a tattered blue coat and had streams of unkempt, blonde hair flowing behind it.

As it drew closer, the figure continued to repeat its psychotic mantra of, "I'm not crazy, Must see Pegasus."

When the figure finally drew within 10 yards of Chazz, he finally realized who it was.

"Dr...Crow...ler?" Chazz said with a stutter before Crowler barreled straight through Chazz and his servants.

The result was like a bowling ball knocking over a bunch of pins: STRIKE! Food, silverware, and various cheap trinkets went flying all over the place as Chazz and his following were completely _bowled_ over.

(A/N: Remember, this series of events occurs parallel to the previous chapter and what's happening to the Santa Squad at the moment.)

Chazz laid flat on his back, covered with the stack of papers that was his "To Do List." His left leg twitched from under the pile of papers. The rest of his group was laid behind him, covered with the contents of their own boxes.

The Ojama just floated above the crash site, with slightly worried expressions.

"Gee, that must've hurt..." Ojama Yellow began.

"Glad it wasn't us," Ojama Black sighed with relief.

"Hey, this gives me a new idea for a song!" Ojama Green shouted with joy before singing:

_To Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer_



"Chazzy got run over by a Crowler!

"Walking from the mall one winter day!" Ojama Yellow chimed in.

"He might not remember what had happened!" Ojama Black added.

"But he'll feel the head trauma Christmas Day!" the trio finished singing.

A slightly audible groan could be heard from under the pile of papers

As Chazz and his group recoiled from his onslaught, Crowler continued his trek to the Yule Duel tournament. If only he'd known that Pegasus was long gone...

_They think they can cage me like some lab rat? They think they can silence me? I am an instructor of the Premiere Duel Academy in the world1 I will not be denied my happiness and the respect I deserved! _Crowler mentally rambled as he performed an aerial somersault over the car of a surprised shopper.

Sirens could now be heard in the distance, drawing closer to the mall.

"No! I won't be put away! I won't go back!" Crowler declared as he glanced back across the parking lot. _As long as I get to Pegasus, they can't lock me up! _he thought, with a psychotic smile stretched across his face.

In an inhuman feat of strength, Crowler leapt straight up the side of the entrance, landing on top of its narrow overhang. With his back against the wall, Crowler peered down at the number of squad cars that pulled up, sirens blaring.

A female cop, with short dark brown hair got out of one of the squad cars and approached the Mall entrance with a bull horn. Uniformed officers flanked her on either side, while a SWAT van finally pulled into the lot.

"Do we have any I.D. on this guy?" the female officer asked as she turned to a middle age male officer.

"No Ma'am. He was picked up down by the docks and was being transported to a homeless shelter. He escaped when the transport was involved in an accident and has been on the run here ever since. Witnesses report him to be rambling on about Maximillion Pegasus and wanting to see him," the male officer explained.

"Hmm, could be a disgruntled employee who was laid off by Industrial Illusions. Heard they had to cut a few departments last year. We've had files piling up back at the station with just cases involving attempts on Mr. Pegasus' life. This could get ugly," the female officer murmured. "Does he have an alias he's going by at least?"

"He's been calling himself "The Doctor," the male officer said with a chuckle.



"What is this, a British Sci-Fi show?" the female officer said as she shook her head before holding up the bullhorn. "ATTENTION _THE DOCTOR_, I'M CAPTAIN REYES OF THE DOMINO CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT. I MUST ASK YOU TO CEASE AND DESIST YOUR ATTEMPT THE GET A HOLD OF MAXIMILLION PEGASUS . NOTHING GOOD WILL COME FROM WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING TO DO.

"You don't understand!" Crowler shouted in frustration. "I have to see Mr. Pegasus! I know he's here!"

"Hmm, looks like he means business," the Captain said before turning to one of the Swat Members. "Do you have a shot at him?"

"Affirmative, on your mark ma'am," the Swat member said as he aimed a tranquilizer gun on Crowler.

"You won't take me alive!" Crowler shouted as he began scaling the side of the building along a string of lights the framed the mall.

"The heck? How come he's not getting shocked?" Captain Reyes asked?

"Looks like he's got some sort of insulated gloves Captain," another officer said as he peered through a pair of binoculars.

"Dang! Take him down!" Reyes barked at the Swat Member.

"Roger!" he responded before taking the first shot.

Crowler managed to swing out of the way before the dart could make contact with his posterior and continued his ascent.

"SANCTUARY!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Captain Reyes and her fellow officers looked on in awe.

"We haven't had a crazy like this since Battle City, back in the day," she said with a sigh. "Lets move out!"

"ROGER!" the other officers said before entering the mall.

As Crowler continued his ascent, with Domino's finest in hot pursuit, we turn once again to Atticus and Hassleberry. The two were not in what looked like another service elevator.

"I hope little Ben gets all of those Dinos he wanted. Do you think we should have went and bought him one anyway," Hassleberry said with a grin.

"Sarge, focus!" Atticus ordered with a stern voice.



"Yeah, you're right," Hassleberry sighed. "Anyway, how'd you know about this service elevator anyway?"

"Well, this service elevator is usually used for deliveries to the different levels of Stacys, but I have some pull with the management." Atticus chuckled lightly.

The door slid open to reveal that the duo had arrived at the third level: Service Department, Gift Wrap, Women's Clothing, and Lingerie.

"Welcome Mr. Rhodes!" a voice rang out, as a middle age sales woman came up and hugged Atticus.

"Hey, Bridgette, long time no see!" Atticus grinned. Thanks again for the favor."

The woman pulled out of the bear hug. She wore a white blouse, with a red vest. Her dark dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a bun and she had a pair of glasses hanging from a chain around her neck.

"No problem hon!" Bridgette responded with a cheerful smile. "Anything for the son of Alicia Rhodes and one of our best customers," she added with a light jab the Atticus' arm.

Hassleberry cocked his left eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Bridgette as she turned to him. "You must be our relief Santa. Thank goodness that you've arrived. Our regular Santa is getting quite cranky and we've just received our relief elf. Such a timid little thing too...," she finished with a whisper.

"Hey wait a minute!" Atticus interjected with raised hands. "This is a friend of mine, Tyranno Hassleberry.

"Oh dear, I offer my apologies young man. We've been so short staffed late into the season. We barely have enough people to even stock shelves." she explained as she motioned to the rest of the store.

What normally would have been a well stocked department store was now a shell of its former self. The racks that normally held hangers upon hangers of various clothing were empty. The shelves were also bare, with only random odd sized articles still remaining.

"Unfortunately, it seemed that a bunch of men realized that they hadn't gotten their wives or girlfriends anything yet. They can be the worst last minute shoppers. Our Jewelry Department is pretty bare on the first floor as well and the gift cards are also sold out." Bridgette said with dismay. "But on the bright side, the set of suits that you ordered a few months ago have just come in Mr. Rhodes!" she finished with a smile.

"Um, that's great Bridge, but we have a more pressing matter at hand," Atticus blushed. We need to get over to wrapping pronto!"

"Did a crazy blonde come in here with a little Asian guy, yelling that he was not an elf statue?" Hassleberry asked in haste. "He may have been saying "AYAH!" quite a bit."

"I wouldn't know. I've been busy trying to manage what's left of my store. We can head over and see though," Bridgette said as she turned to walk. "Follow me..."

Atticus and Hassleberry followed Bridgette to the gift wrapping department, which was wreck itself. Random pieces of torn wrapping paper were strewn about the floor and ribbon scraps appeared to be hanging from the ceiling. The counter appeared to be abandoned by whoever had been manning it at the time.

"Not again," Bridgette grumbled to herself. "Asuka! Where in the world are you guys?" she bellowed.

Hassleberry's eyes became two hearts at the sound of that name. "Asuka?! Where's Asuka? She here?" he blubbered with excitement.

"Coming Ma'am!" a sing-song voice yelled from the back room.

A scarlet haired teenager dressed in a red dress shirt and black pants came running to the front desk. She held her hands in front of her and gave a polite smile.

"You called?" the other Asuka answered.

"Where's that friend of yours? Isn't he on duty as well?" Bridgette asked.

"Oh right. Just a minute!" she said before turning behind her. :IKARI! GET YOUR LAZY BEHIND OUT HERE ON THE DOUBLE!" she barked with a sudden rage.

"Coming...,"a meek voice called from the back.

A raven haired teenage boy emerged from the back, dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants. He gave a weary glance to his female co-worker before turning to Bridgette.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I just finished wrapping that set of robots that were brought in an hour ago," the raven haired boy explained.

"What are you, stupid?" the other Asuka asked her co-worker. "How can it take you that long to wrap a bunch of toys?

"I'm sorry Asuka, but they were pretty big boxes and the customer was very specific on the wrapping," the boy tried to explain. "I was just trying to do what I was told."

"Well your _quality control_ is backing us up. We need to move these gifts out!" the other Asuka argued.



Bridgette sighed before shouting, "Asuka! Shinji! Can we put the argument on hold for a minute? These two gentlemen have a question for both of you," she said as she motioned to Atticus and Hassleberry.

Asuka just stared at the duo before sniggering, "Jeez Shinji, these two make _your_ doofuses of friends look normal."

"Stow the criticism _Scarlet_!" Hassleberry growled. "Did a blonde haired woman with a bunch of packages and an old man come through here?"

"How dare you!" Asuka simmered.

Shinji stood silent for a moment and tried to think. "Lets see. We've had so many people come through, its hard to remember. Was the old man shopping with her?" he asked.

"No, she was trying to pass him off as lawn ornament," Atticus said with nervous laugh.

Shinji's and Asuka's eyes bugged out immediately.

"Ooooh, _that one_!" they answered simultaneously.

"Yeah, talk about a head case," Asuka said with disgust. "She came in and plopped everything down right in front of us before running off to shop more. All she said was "thanks again" before running off. No requests, no please, nothing."

"The odd thing was that there was an old man buried in all of the packages. He was just sleeping, like it was his nap time or something," Shinji explained.

Atticus and Hassleberry gasped in amazement. "Where is he?!" they both yelled as they jumped over the counter.

Asuka and Shinji jumped back slightly before leading them to the back room. Seated in a chair, against the wall and covered with a throw blanket was a sleeping Mr. Hayama.

"We were going to call mall security after our shift to come pick him up. We haven't had the chance to today, I'm sorry to say," Shinji explained.

Hassleberry walked over to the older man and shook him gently.

"Hey, Mr. Hayama. Wake up, it's us!" Hassleberry tried to say as soft as possible.

Mr. Hayama's eyes slowly slid open and he looked at Hassleberry's still white bearded face.

"AYAH! Its finally happened! I've been put in a home!!" Mr. Hayama yelled as he punched Hassleberry in the face.



"Whoa! whoa! Mr. Hayama! It's just us," Atticus said as he picked up Mr. Hayama's glasses off the floor and placed them on his head.

Mr Hayama's blinked for a moment as his eyes adjusted again. He glanced around before looking up at Atticus.

"Atticus-san? Where am I? Did I miss my daughter's duel?" Mr. Hayama asked with a worried voice.

Meanwhile, Shinji was crouching over Hassleberry, poking him in the shoulder.

"Is he dead?" Asuka asked bluntly.

"Mr. Hayama, don't you remember what happened?" Atticus asked.

Mr. Hayama closed his eyes for a moment and thought, "Lets see. We were in in the center court and then that woman grabbed me. I screamed over and over that I was not an elf statue, but she kept remarking about how I was so _life-like_. She tangled me up amongst the rest of her packages and I just couldn't break free. I guess, I just got tired after a while and fell asleep."

Hassleberry groaned as he lifted himself off the floor.

"What hit me?" he asked.

Mr. Hayama looked over and grinned sheepishly.

"I guess I did Tyranno. My apologies," Mr. Hayama said with a slight bow.

"Yeah, its no problem. As long as you're safe sir," Hassleberry said.

_Man! I organize this whole rescue operation and he still hasn't given me one of those nicknames of his!_ Hassleberry mentally groaned.

"Where are Judai-kun and everyone else?" Mr. Hayama inquired.

Hassleberry gasped, "Ack! The mission's still not over!"

Shinji, Asuka, and Bridgette just stared at the festive looking duelist in confusion.

"That's right, we need to grab Sy and head up to the Yule Duel," Atticus said.

"Syrus is missing?" Mr. Hayma asked as he jumped out of his chair.

"Yeah, he's lost somewhere in the mall, dressed as an elf," Atticus further explained.

"An elf?!" Mr. Hayama exclaimed.



"Excuse me. Ms. Bridgette? Are you there?" a voice called out from the front. It seemed to have a slight British accent to it. "I need to talk to you about our relief elf."

"Coming!" Bridgette answered, as the group followed her out.

A young man with _swoop_ of dark hair and dressed in a yellow Elf suit (identical to Syrus' no less) was standing at the counter.

"Pardon my intrusion ma'am, but I'd really like to discuss our new elf with you," the young man said.

"Of course Mr. Misawa," Brigette answered.

"BASTION!" Atticus and Hassleberry exclaimed simultaneously.

The former Ra Yellow duelist gasped, "Great Scott! Atticus and, umm Santa?"

"It's me soldier!" Hassleberry barked at his former senior.

"Hassleberry? Wait a minute. So, Syrus was telling the truth as I thought!" Bastion proclaimed.

"You've seen the Private?" Hassleberry yelled as he grabbed Bastion by the collar.

"Of course, he's on the level below with Dr. Eisenstein." Bastion responded. "I'll show you the way, if that's ok with you ma'am?"

Bridgette nodded, "Go ahead and help your friends Mr. Misawa and remember, you and the Dr. are done at 9 tonight."

Bastion, Atticus, Hassleberry, and Mr. Hayama ran off, leaving the Stacys employees behind.

"Weir...dos.," Asuka stated, as Shinji just sighed.

_Meanwhile, on the second level: Baby Depot, Children's, and Housewares..._

_Aww man._ _how'd I get into this?_ Syrus thought as he brought the next nervous kid to see _Santa_.

"Well little one, please tell Santa what you want for Christmas," the Santa said with a heavy German accent.

"I'd like dolly please, Mr. Santa," the little girl said in a squeaky voice.

"Then you will get one! Also, would you like a book on Quantum Physics as well?" the Santa suggested sweetly.

"What's that?" the little girl asked, clearly confused.

"Psst, Dr. Eisenstein! _Ix-nay_ the _ook-bay_," Syrus whispered.

"Oh, uh right!" the good doctor said as he lifted the girl down. "Now be a good girl and Santa will get you dolly!" he said with a smile.

"Thanks Santa!" the girl waved as she went back to her mother.

_That was a close one._ Syrus thought as he eyed to security guard that had dragged him to the store. _Where are you Bastion?_ he thought.

The guard continued cocked his head slightly, telling Syrus to "keep going."

Syrus just smiled meekly before bringing the next kid over to Dr. Eisenstein.

"Syrus!" yelled a voice coming toward them.

Syrus looked up after placing the boy on Eisenstein's lap and saw a a few familiar running toward him.

"SARGE! ATTICUS!" Syrus yelled as tears began to form in his eyes.

Syrus jumped the garland rope that surrounded the Santa display and ran toward the group. He made a b-line straight for Hassleberry and threw himself around his waste.

"I thought I'd be stuck here until New Years!" Syrus blubbered.

"Easy private. A good soldier doesn't cry!" Hassleberry said, trying to hold back his own tears.

Bastion and Atticus just shook their heads in disbelief at the scene those two were making.

"Um, guys. Sorry to break up this reunion, but we have to get going." Atticus said as he pulled Hassleberry and Syrus away from each other.

Hassleberry sniffed, "Right. Let's make _Operation: Dashing Through the Mall_ a success!"

"HOLD IT!" a voice barked, making Syrus freeze.

The security guard was now lumbering toward the group with a scowl on his face.

"You're not getting off that easy," the guard growled as he reached for Syrus.

Bastion stepped between the two and grabbed the guard's wrist, apparently causing him a decent amount of pain.



"Ahh!", the guard groaned as he pulled back and grabbed his wrist. "Why you! You just did a really bad thing for yourself kid," the guard growled as he went for his handcuffs.

Before the guard could reach them though, a squawk came over his radio.

"**All Security, please report to Yule Duel event. We have a code 331. I repeat, a code 331."** the voice said.

The guard grumbled to himself, "Dang," before turning to the group. "We'll settle this after, you little punks," he finished before running off.

Everyone stared at Bastion in amazement.

"Wow soldier, way to stand up for a friend,' Hassleberry said while patting him on the back.

"Yeah, who knew you had it in you?" Atticus added.

Bastion blushed slightly, "Thanks everyone. I guess doing all of the manual labor back in the lab has given me a bit of upper body strength."

_What does he do in the lab, lift lead weights?_ Syrus thought with a grateful grin.

"Well Children. Let this be a valuable lesson. Always stand up for your friends...," Dr. Eisenstein said, feebly trying to cover up the incident that the whole crowd of kids had just witnessed.

Bastion grinned sheepishly at the crowd before turning the Santa Squad, "Well looks like you guys better get going and catch up to Jaden and Alexis . It sounds like there is trouble at the Yule Duel."

"Right, and lets not forget Asuka!" Hassleberry said with a worried tone.

"What about you Bastion? What'll happen when the guard comes back?" Syrus asked

Bastion chuckled, "I'll explain the situation to Bridgette. She's been really sympathetic to me and Dr. Eisenstein and has had trouble with thay guard before."

"Alright then, Santa Squad, lets go!" Hassleberry shouted as he, Atticus, and Mr. Hayama ran off for the mall exit.

Before running after them, Syrus turned back to Bastion. "Thanks again Bastion! By the way, why are you two working here anyway?"

Dr. Eisenstein smiled from his chair and shouted, "Well we needed more funds for our research of course!"

"Oh...couldn't you have gotten a grant or...," Syrus began to say before being cut off.

"MOVE IT OR LOSE IT SOLDIER! Hassleberry barked from far ahead.

"Coming!" Syrus yelled as he dashed off. "Later guys!"

"Happy Holidays!" both Bastion and the Doctor yelled with a wave.

As the Santa Squad made their way toward the Mall, screams could be heard coming from the entrance. The group screeched to a stop to see a whole slew of people running in a mass panic.

"He's going to get us all!" one voice proclaimed.

"I heard he escaped from an asylum!" another voice yelled.

"Is it a man or woman?" said another voice barked.

"No one knows!" another voice replied.

Hassleberry and the group just continued to stare at the Mass Hysteria that was going on before them.

Suddenly, a female police officer, flanked by four members of Domino PD ran past the group.

"This is Reyes!" she shouted into her walkie talkie. "Contain the suspect to the duel field. I repeat, contain it!"

Hassleberry could only manage to utter one phrase, "Sam Hill..."

_To Be Continued..._

(A/N: Alright, we are officially synched up with the previous chapter! What else can happen at this point? Find out next time! Until then…Gotcha!)

**This chapter is dedicated to my fellow Evangelion/Yu-gi-oh fan, **_**Jadenandalexis4eva**_**. ****Check out his work!**


	9. The Yule Duel! Asuka's Opponent is

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Yu-gi-oh!, Yu-gi-oh! GX, or even Yu-gi-oh! 5D's. It's true! They are owned by Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo, NAS, and the good people at Shonen Jump._

**Turn 9: The Yule Duel! Asuka's Opponent is…**

The _Yule Duel_, a tournament organized by Industrial Illusions in order to unite the spirit of dueling with the spirit of the holiday season. The top duelists from the surrounding areas of Domino City were invited to compete in contest of good faith and brotherhood. Naturally, everyone in the marketing department at I2 expected big bonus checks in their stockings for developing this event. What they didn't expect was this…

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" a voice bellowed as the crowd of spectators herded themselves out of the Yule Duel stadium.

"It's the Domino Demon! He's come for our cards and our souls!" another voice proclaimed from the retreating crowd.

"OH MR. PEGASUS, YOU'RE WANTED ON THE DUEL FIELD!" the disheveled Dr. Crowler shrieked as he crisscrossed the tournament field, nearly jumping into the stands with each pass.

Upon his umpteenth round about the stadium, Crowler actually did jump into stands, blocking the way of a female spectator.

"Back demon!" the woman shouted, before whacking the good doctor with her purse.

Crowler recoiled from the hit, collapsing backward onto the floor. It was there that he laid for a moment, as the woman began to shudder at what had just happened.

"I'm no demon! I'm a man," Crowler said as he began to stagger to his feet again. "I'm someone who has been to the graveyard and back! I've been dunked, frozen, run over, and chased for days on end." he whispered hoarsely as he stood before the woman

The fear in her eyes lessened as she looked at this broken man before her. His once proud blue coat was torn and tattered, his hair was matted and dirty, and a face worn from stress and fatigue stared back at her. Tears were now streaming down Dr. Crowler's face as he loosened his grip.

"I may seem insane and some even say effeminate, but I am still a man. I'm just someone who wants to go home," he finished as he lowered his head in defeat.

Suddenly, multiple clicking sounds began to fill the air around the good doctor as he glanced around him. Behind him, two agents in suits and sunglasses were closest to him, one being Agent Smith. To their left, Detective Reyes and her fellow officers from the Domino Police Department stood ready. To their right was the guard from Stacy*s department store, who was sweating profusely and breathing very heavily. All of them had guns at ready.

"Alright, no sudden moves sir," Detective Reyes said as she slowly approached Crowler,. "I'd say that we don't want any trouble, but I think we're past that aren't we?"

Crowler looked up into the stands now. Multiple members of the Domino SWAT team were also stationed throughout the stadium. Two were even station at the, now broken, skylight.

_Hmm. I guess I can't exactly blame them for what they must be thinking of me_, he thought as he remembered how he gotten into the building.

_Flashback…_

"SANCTUARY!" Crowler screamed at the top of his lungs as he continued to scale the side of Domino Mall.

The amount of décor that covered the mall during the holiday season had proven a great advantage to Crowler. Multiple strings of lights were strung into intricate designs along the mall exterior. At that point Crowler was gripping onto the side of lights that were strung into a menorah on the second floor of the mall.

_It's a good thing I have these insulated gloves_, Crowler thought to himself. _They said I was a nut to wear them._ _The static charge from a card in a duel disk is nothing they said. Well, who's laughing now?!?_

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crowler began to laugh maniacally as he jumped onto a long stretch of garland on the corner of the building and continued his ascent.

(A/N: How all of this décor is supporting Crowler's weight, we'll never know…)

_Hmm, there are some lights burnt out over there_…, Crowler thought as he passed the third floor. _Someone should fix that._

Crowler managed to reach the top of the Mall within 10 minutes after beginning his ascent. The combination of inhuman stamina and psychosis had made the normally meek Doctor a force to be reckoned with.

"Top floor: Yule Duel, Pegasus, and a one trip ticket home!" Crowler announced to an invisible audience as he peered down onto the duel field.

"Now how shall I get down there?" he thought aloud, as he began to pace quickly next to the light. "I could use more garland, or lights. Knowing my luck, the maintenance door is probably locked."

Unfortunately, Crowler failed to see the patch of ice that had formed near the skylight. One may guess what happened next.

"Maybe if I…I...AIEEEEEEE!" he shrieked as he crashed through the skylight.

"I regret nothiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!" Crowler yelled as he plummeted toward the Yule Duel arena.

_End Flashback_

Crowler actually smirked at himself and what had happened.

_How ridiculous I've been these past few days_, he thought, before raising his hand in surrender. "Alright officer, you've got me," he said in a subdued voice. "I suppose saying I'm sorry isn't the best place to start, but…"

"WAIT! DON'T HURT HIM!" a voice rang out from across the duel field.

Detective Reyes turned toward the source of the voice. A boy clad in red and girl behind him had run out onto the field, evading all of the armed officers, before positioning themselves in front of the good doctor.

"SLACKER!" Crowler cheered as he actually embraced the now mortified Jaden. "I can't believe I'm actually happy to see you!

Jaden groaned, "Uh yeah, nice to see you too Dr. Crowler. Um, could you let me go now?"

A look of shock and realization burst onto Crowler's face as he released the young duelist. "Uh, yes, let's never speak of this again, shall we?" he finished with a sheepish smile.

"Definitely…" Jaden and Alexis said simultaneously.

Detective Reyes and gave the order for everyone to lower their weapons, before approaching the trio.

"Would someone mind explaining what in the world is going on?" Detective Reyes asked in exasperation.

Crowler recounted his experiences from the past few days since he had dropped everyone off at Domino Pier. Jaden and Alexis couldn't help, but feel sorry for Dr. Crowler after hearing what he had gone through. Sure, this was the same Dr. Crowler who berated Jaden and his friends both in and out of class on a regular basis. That and Crowler was known to be somewhat accident prone by everyone at the Academy, but still even he didn't deserve this treatment during this time of year.

Detective Reyes stood there and listened to the whole story, nodding once in a while before finally speaking.

"Look, I'll admit the circumstances are really out of this world, but I can't just let you go! Do you know how much your actions have cost Domino City?" Reyes said as she looked at a subdued Crowler. "That and you caused Mass Hysteria at the Yule Duel! I'm sure the execs at Industrial Illusion will love to have you locked up and the key thrown away."

"It's still not fair…" Jaden whispered to himself.

"Excuse me young man?" Reyes said as she turned to Jaden.

"I said it's still not fair," Jaden responded as he stared back at the Detective with a serious gaze. "I don't think I'd feel happy at all celebrating the holidays with my friends and family, knowing Dr. Crowler is alone in some cell."

_Jaden…,_ Alexis thought with surprise.

_Slacker_… Dr. Crowler thought as tears actually began to well up in his eyes.

"Well young man. What do you think I _should_ do?" Reyes seemed to patronize the young duelist. "I'm supposed to just let him go and hope that the city and I2 can forgive and forget?"

"That sounds like a splendid idea Captain," a voice said from above.

Jaden and everyone glanced up toward the ceiling, where the voice appeared to be coming from.

_Oh great. Maybe Sy was right and there is a guardian angel,_ Jaden thought. "Is that you Clarence?" he said stuttered.

"Hmm, my parents considered naming me that, but thankfully they didn't," the voice said as a figure was lowered through the skylight on a rope ladder. "It's nice to see you again Jaden-boy!"

Everyone gasped in surprise, "MR. PEGASUS?!?"

Clad in a red winter coat, complete with fur lining no less, Maximillion Pegasus descended into the duel arena.

"I must say that I enjoy making an entrance," Pegasus said with a smile. "No wonder Kaiba boy uses parachutes, jet packs, and what not when he makes public appearances."

"M…Mr. Pegasus," Detective Reyes stuttered, "It's an honor sir."

"The pleasure is mine my dear Captain," Pegasus said with a bow before glancing around the arena. "It looks like they had a last minute sale in my arena," he said as with a shake of his head.

Crowler walked up to Pegasus and smiled meekly, "I suppose I am to blame for this madness Mr. Pegasus. I was hoping to get a hold of you and maybe get a ride back to the Academy. Unfortunately, a series of _mishaps_ prevented me from getting a hold of you via normal channels."

Pegasus shook his head, "It's not a problem Dr. Crowler. I'm sure my men in marketing can turn all of this into decent publicity by morning. They'll have to if they don't want coal in their stockings this Christmas," he said with a chuckle.

"Excuse me Mr. Pegasus, but there are still the incidents with Dr. Crowler concerning Domino City.

"What would these incidents be Detective?" Pegasus asked.

Reyes thought for a moment, "Well, disturbance of the peace mostly. However, there is the loitering at Domino Harbor, causing the accidents on the highway, and evading the police by climbing the side of the mall. Shall I try to name anything else?"

"Hmm, how about I post bail for the good Doctor? I've already received calls from Chancellor Shepard back at Duel Academy. He's been wondering where you wandered off to, since his return to the island," Pegasus explained. "I'd rather not have Duel Academy get caught up in a law suit at this time of year. It's best to save fun like that for after New Years."

"Really?!?" Dr. Crowler said with surprise as he began to cry into Pegasus shoulder. "Oh thank you sir! You are a saint among men!"

"Its no problem at all, but I'd appreciate it if you let go of me. You're getting my coat damp," Pegasus said with annoyance.

"OH!" Crowler gasped as he released the duel mogul. "Let's never speak of this again as well, shall we?"

"Definitely!" Jaden, Alexis, Reyes and Pegasus said simultaneously.

"Jaden! Hey, Jaden! A voice rang out from the other side of the arena.

A whole group of people came barreling out onto the duel field. At the front, surprisingly, was Chumley Huffington, flanked on both sides by Hassleberry and Syrus. Both were normally clothed again. Mr. Hayama was trying his best to keep up behind the young duelist, huffing his way behind them.

"Hey guys!" Jaden exclaimed as he waved at the incoming group.

Hassleberry overtook Chumley for the lead and made a B-line straight for Jaden. He immediately halted in front of his friend and gave a salute.

"Sarge, I officially declare Operation: Dashing Through the Mall a success!" Hassleberry shouted with pride.

Jaden just gave a half-hearted salute back before Syrus grabbed a hold Jaden by the waste and wailed, "Jaden, I never thought I'd see you again!"

"Um Sy, we weren't apart that long…," Jaden replied with an embarrassed look on his face.

"But you weren't there. This disgruntled mall security guard made me do forced labor in a department store! It was like summer camp all over again!" Syrus exclaimed.

At this, everyone just gave Syrus looks of confusion.

Pegasus then turned to his fatigued employee, "Chumley-boy, thank you for notifying me of everything that has happened. Hopefully, the salvaging of this event will take little time."

"Hopefully…" Chumley huffed, still trying to catch his breath.

"Excuse me Mr. Pegasus, but you seem awfully upbeat with the stadium being emptied and all," Jaden uncharacteristically noticed.

"Well, worse things have happened…" Pegasus said as he briefly held his hand up to the concealed part of his face.

"Guys, I'd hate to but in, but what happened to my brother?" Alexis asked as she glanced around for the elder Rhodes.

Chumley took a deep breath and responded, "Actually, it's because of Atticus that we're here at all. He calmed the crowd down outside, which made it easier for us to get up here. He's keeping everyone occupied right now."

"Occupied?" Alexis questioned.

"Crowd?" Pegasus asked as he cocked his eyebrow.

_Down in the mall…_

The crowds that had been in chaotic panic just moments ago were all dancing and singing along to some sort of entertainment act. People lined all levels of the mall and gazed down at a singer dressed in a Santa outfit, who used a discarded lift as a miniature stage.

(a/n: Not sure what lift I'm talking about? Glance back at Chapter 7)

Music blared from the mall PA system as the singer began to sing, "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree at the Christmas party hop! Mistletoe hung where you can see. Ev'ry Couple tries to stop…"

The young singer was none other than Atticus Rhodes, who was being backed up from below by a few familiar faces.

Hank, the maintenance man, fiddled with the lights for center court, giving it an almost professional lightshow display.

"Just like when I worked at Kaiba Land! Whoohoo!" Hank shouted.

Three women were providing backup to the young entertainer.

"You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear…" Bridgette began.

"…voices singing lets be jolly…," Asuka, from Stacy*s, picked up.

"…deck the hall with bows of holly!" a third familiar girl finished with a lot of enthusiasm.

"That's Asuka!" Jaden shouted from high above.

Jaden and friends, Pegasus, and Detective Reyes were now overlooking this unscheduled concert, amazed at what was going on.

"Yes, I was to tell you that we found her Judai-kun, but couldn't get a word in!" Mr Hayama shouted over a chorus of, "Have a Happy Holiday!"

"We ran into her on the way up," Syrus explained. "When she heard Atticus' plan to calm the crowd down, she joined in."

"What about her duel?" Jaden shouted over voices singing the second chorus of "Deck the Halls with bows…"

"She may have been rushed out with the other competitors early on," Chumley cut in.

"I ordered a lockdown and I get a ho-down," Detective Reyes shook her head in disbelief.

A random suited aid came up behind and said to Pegasus, "We're ready sir," before handing him a microphone.

"The repairs are made and the other finalist is found?" Pegasus asked as the song finished up

The aid shook his head in affirmation, while Pegasus turned back to the audience.

"Thank you everyone!" Atticus shouted as applause erupted from his _captured_ audience. "For my next number, I figured that I'd…," he started before being cut off by feedback.

Pegasus had switched his own microphone on and began to speak, "Well everyone, let's give another big hand for Mr. Rhodes, shall we?"

The crowd responded once more with a deafening applause, before turning their attention back to Pegasus.

"Wonderful!" Pegasus began. "As many of you know, I am Maximillion Pegasus, the creator of the Duel Monsters Card game and the sponsor of the Yule Duel!"

Another thunderous applause resonated throughout the mall.

"First, I'd like to offer my sincere apologies to both the spectators and shoppers today for the unplanned interruption. We at Industrial Illusions hoped that the Yule Duel would be an entertaining and safe event for all today," Pegasus explained.

_(A/N: Pegasus reformed. Enough said…)_

"Unfortunately, the man who was to cameo as the Grinch late into our event was left out in the cold a tad to long; with no costume no less as well," Pegasus said with a chuckle.

The crowd actually responded to this with some spattered laughter.

Jaden turned to Chumley, "Hey Chum, what's he talking about?"

Chumley grimaced before responding, "It's called _damage control_ Jaden. Mr. Pegasus is an expert at it."

"As a conciliation and _present_ to those who are were in attendance today, full refunds will be issued to all."

To this the crowd responded not only with applause, but also shouts of joy and excitement.

"Finally, I request that everyone who was at the Yule Duel return to the stadium and witness its conclusion! It's time to duel!" Pegasus exclaimed with a punch to the air.

The crowd cheered for the duel mogul, as many began to make their way back up the upper levels of the mall.

Pegasus tossed the microphone to his aid and turned to the group and said with a content smile, "Well, that's been taken care of."

"Won't you suffer a significant profit loss with a mass refund?" Mr. Hayama questioned Pegasus, the business owner in him taking over.

"That's pocket change to me my good man," Pegasus responded in a confident tone. "Besides, as I said earlier, the publicity alone can be turned to my favor. All that one needs to come out on top is the right strategies and tactics. This is true for both the dueling world and the business world, right Jaden-boy?"

Jaden just smirked at the comment.

"Now, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Chumley-boy, who has proven to me a most excellent coordinator for this event."

Chumley blushed, "Well, my drafts for the next set were ahead of schedule and you did ask me…"

"Marvelous," Pegasus interrupted. "Be sure that Jaden-boy and his guests have front row seats to the final. As for myself, I have meetings of both business and social interest to attend to. Come now Dr. Crowler or you'll be left behind again," he said as he walked off with his entourage of aids.

Crowler started to meekly follow behind Pegasus before turning back to the group, "Sorry for a fly in everyone's plum pudding this season. I expect to see every one of you in class first thing after break; especially you Slifer slacker."

Dr. Crowler then ran after his ride before it departed.

Jaden just smiled sheepishly before saying, "Well, at least he's got some of his spark back."

"At least he isn't hugging you anymore," Syrus noted.

"You're one to talk private!" Hassleberry mocked his friend.

"Yeah, that's exactly…HEY!" Syrus exclaimed.

Everyone laughed before Chumley interrupted, "Come one guys. Let's get Atticus and Ms. Hayama up here before even I can find you seats."

"Alright Yule Duel, we're here!" Jaden shouted in excitement as the group walked off.

_Later on…_

Chumley had managed to secure the gang a box that had been reserved for Pegasus and his entourage ahead of time. Fortunately, since this had been done before consulting Pegasus' schedule, the box was left empty.

"Wow, look at this place!" Syrus said as he glanced around.

"Kind of festive for a dueling field, but not bad," Hassleberry said.

"You think they'd let me do another number in here once the dueling is done?" Atticus mused.

A glance around the stadium showed that the stadium floor had been cleaned up and the skylight above patched up. Without the presence of armed officers filling the stadium, one could really appreciate the effort into building it. The expansive, top level of the mall was usually reserved for conventions and concerts and could easily be converted upon request.

The stadium that I2 had managed to make was somewhat standard in build, with seats surrounding a central field area where the duels took place. What took prominence in this stadium was the décor. Red and gold tapestry lined the walls of the stadium, bearing embroideries of trees, candles, and stars in intricate patterns. The field itself was covered itself in a subtle gold glow itself, due to the millions of lights that were strung overhead. Finally, both the seats and the duel field were colored dark green, complimenting the tapestries that surrounded them.

"Does anyone else smell something sweet?" Mr. Hayama asked as he sniffed the air. "It almost smells like gingerbread."

"That's because it is!" Chumley said as he came up to the other with a cart that had plates of gingerbread and mugs of what appeared to be hot chocolate. "Mr. Pegasus wanted others to enjoy some of the things he did around the holidays. Everyone was able to get gingerbread, hot chocolate, and even egg-nog, non-alcoholic of course," he explained. "I figured I'd bring some by for you guys."

"Thanks Chumley!" everyone said as they grabbed a plate and a mug.

"Hey, where are the Sarge and Alexis?" Hassleberry said with his mouth full of gingerbread.

"They went to talk to Asuka before the match," Mr. Hayama explained as he wiped off the shower of crumbs that had come from Hassleberry's mouth.

_In the duelist waiting area…_

Asuka and Alexis continued to look at one another, mimicking both expressions and body movements.

"This is too weird…" they said simultaneously.

"What are you guys talking about?" Jaden asked with a confused look on his face.

The two girls just gave exasperated sighs before Asuka asked, "How old are you again?"

"Seventeen." Alexis promptly answered.

"If I were a only a few years younger, people would think we were sisters," Asuka chuckled, causing Alexis to join in.

"Sooo," Jaden began. "Do you know who your opponent is Asuka?"

"That would be me Jaden-chan," a voice said from behind Jaden.

Jaden eyes widened before turning toward the source of the voice. The man that stood before him appeared to be in his early twenties. He had medium length; dark hair was combed off to the side and wore oval rimmed glasses. He was dressed in a light red dress shirt and dark blue slacks. On his arm was a duel disk that resembled the ones first used in battle city, except with a dark grey color scheme.

"No way! Koyo?!?" Jaden exclaimed as he gave the elder duelist a bear hug.

Asuka just smiled before saying, "Koyo was invited to the tournament as well. Being a Pro-Duelist, he breezed easily through the preliminaries."

"It's been a while hasn't it Jaden-chan?" Koyo said as he ruffed up Jaden's hair.

"Hey, what's with the _–chan_? I'm not a kid anymore you know!" Jaden said as he lightly punched Koyo in the shoulder with a chuckle.

Alexis was now the one with the look of puzzlement on her face.

Asuka noticed this immediately and interrupted to small reunion, "Ahem. I think Alexis is a bit out of the loop you guys."

Koyo stopped his brotherly chiding with Jaden and turned to Alexis. He looked at her and Asuka for a moment before rubbing his eyes under his glasses.

"I've got to get a new prescription. I'm seeing double again…" Koyo said.

Asuka, grimaced before saying flatly, "She's real you doof…"

_Gee, this seems familiar…,_ Jaden thought to himself as Wing Kuriboh appeared beside him briefly with a look of disbelief.

Koyo walked up to Alexis and kissed her hand in a gentleman-like manner, causing her to blush.

"Forgive me. My name is Koyo Hibiki and I am source of Jaden's dueling prowess," he said in a suave voice.

A large *thwack* was heard as Asuka punched Koyo into a near-by wall.

"Stop flirting with Jaden's friends!" Asuka said in an uncharacteristically angry tone.

Asuka marched over to give Koyo a further lecture, while the elder duelist recovered from her sudden attack.

In the meantime, Alexis walked over to Jaden and whispered, "Are they always like this?"

Jaden smiled before responding, "Yep, they act like this all the time. I used to tease them about how they acted like a married couple all the time."

"WE DO NOT!" Koyo and Asuka both yelled as they both blushed.

"Um, excuse me?" a voice said suddenly.

Everyone turned to see Chumley standing in the doorway.

"We need you guys in your places now," Chumley said to Koyo and Asuka.

Koyo lifted himself up and turned to his friend.

"Well looks like we get to settle this once and for all," Koyo said with a friendly smile as he started to walk out with Chumley

"Who _really_ is the better duelist…" Asuka said with her own sly smile as she followed

"See you guys later…" Koyo called back.

"We have a little score to settle…" Asuka said.

Alexis turned to Jaden, who was visibly quivering with excitement.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" he stuttered with excitement. "The rivalry comes to a head!"

"What rivalry?" Alexis asked before being pulled out by the arm by Jaden.

"Come on Lex! We don't want to miss this!" Jaden said as he dragged Alexis back to their seat.

_Minutes later…_

Jaden's quivering hadn't ceased since the two had returned to the stadium. The whole box itself seemed to shake due to Jaden, as well as everyone in it.

"Why…is …Jaden…shaking….?" Sy asked as he gripped onto his shaking seat.

"It's something…about…Asuka…and Koyo being rivals." Alexis said as she held on to her own seat.

"But…I thought…Asuka was…just a hobby duelist?" Hassleberry wondered allowed.

Mr. Hayama just gave a knowing smile before saying, "I'm….afraid…Asuka…hasn't… been fully truthful…with you boys."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" an announcer's voice rang over the loud speakers. "IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS PRESENTS THE FINAL MATCHUP OF THE YULE DUEL!"

The crowd roared in excitement.

"FIRST, WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME TO THE FIELD, A DUELIST WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION! HE IS THE _TACTICAL WARRIOR _OF THE PRO-LEAGUES, A MASTER OF DUELING, AND WAS ABLE TO SWEEP ALL CHALLENGERS EARLIER IN THIS TOURNAMENT AND SEND THEM HOME WITH COAL! GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR KOYO HIBIKI!"

The crowd roared as Koyo ran onto the field, waving at everyone as he made his way to his position.

"NOW, WE WELCOME BACK A VERY SPECIAL GUEST! A WOMAN WHO'S DUELING SPIRIT BURNED WITH A PASSION DURING HER SHORT TIME IN THE INTERNATIONAL PRO-LEAGUES AT THE AGE OF 13! THE DUELING BEAUTY OF THE BATTLEFIELD, ASUKA HAYAMA!

The crowd roared even louder as Asuka made her way onto the field. She had a stern look on her face, but still appeared to be blushing a bit.

"She never did like that title…" Mr Hayama said before glancing around to see astonished faces looking at him.

Syrus, Hassleberry, and Alexis were looking at him with expressions of shock and awe.

"She was an International Pro…" Syrus began.

"…at the age of…" Alexis continued.

"…THIRTEEN?!?" Hassleberry finished as he grabbed a hold of Mr. Hayama.

"You guys didn't know?" Atticus asked non-chalantly.

"You did?!?" they asked.

"Yeah, Asuka was the youngest International Pro Duelist. Before that, Rebecca Hawkins held the title at the age of 15; after she held the American Championship title for 3 years. You guys should really read up on your Pro League History…" Atticus lectured as he continued to watch the duel.

"Shhh! They're going to start!" Jaden whispered hastily.

Asuka deployed her duel disk, which resembled the standard academy issued ones, while Koyo armed his own.

The two stared at each other for a moment, a fire burning in both their eyes.

"You're not holding back this time, are you?" Asuka asked with a smirk.

"Not against someone like you Asuka-chan!" Koyo said with a confident smile.

"Alright then…" Asuka said.

**DUEL!**

_To be continued…_

(A/N: The Crowler storyline has come to a close, while Asuka's secret has revealed. Not only that, but we also have a new character added to the _present day_ fold. What other things will be revealed in the upcoming duel? Stay tuned. Until then…Gotcha!

(A/N: Oh and if any of you want a better idea of what Koyo looks like, check out his GX manga counterpart.)


End file.
